Procedure and House Affairs committee  It's a very simple answer. Again, my book, Wilful Blindness, really grew out of disclosures from a casino anti-money-laundering official named Ross Alderson. He was very concerned about the activity he saw. His view was that there was “wilful blindness” on the part of British Columbia's government with regard to the lack of prosecution against transnational crime and money laundering.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  The story stands, and we're here today because of a body of reporting. I'll remind the member that I said I'm not going to speak to editorial processes—

Procedure and House Affairs committee  The answer, honourable member, is that the story stands and the body of works stands. We are all here today because of the body of work—

Procedure and House Affairs committee  The story stands. The editorial procedures and the legal procedures around that story are the subject of a legal procedure, as you know. At the outset, I told the honourable member that the story stands and that I will not speak to editorial processes or legal procedures regarding my prior story.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  If I understand the question, it's about what is the editorial or vetting process, or the motivation of a journalist to report on.... Could you rephrase that, please?

Procedure and House Affairs committee  As I said in my opening statement, after hearing and researching and filing access to information requests regarding former CSIS director Richard Fadden's very public statement, I was working in Vancouver at a major newspaper, and I was seeing and hearing about activities related to financial crime that started to appear, possibly, to feed into foreign interference-type activities.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I don't write the headlines, but I stand by the story. I know that Global News stands by the story. There is a legal procedure under way. The story speaks for itself and the statement of defence speaks for itself. The story stands.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I said at the outset that I won't speak to editorial processes or legal procedures, but I can assure the honourable member that legal vetting and editorial vetting of these stories is extremely rigorous. That's all I'll say about that—

Procedure and House Affairs committee  This is a matter for editorial procedures and legal vetting procedures.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I told the honourable member at the outset that I'm not going to speak to editorial processes, identification of sources or legal procedures around this story. I'll repeat it again.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I didn't prepare any materials around that question. As I told the honourable member, I'm not going to speak to materials—

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Going back to my introduction, I'm not going to speak to editorial processes or legal processes around prior stories.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  The article is based on.... Going back to my opening statement, for the honourable member, I'll reiterate it. The story stands. I will not speak to the identification of sources. I will not speak to editorial processes. I want the member to remember that I will not speak to legal processes surrounding this story.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Before answering your question, I'll refer back to..... I know members paid close attention to the speech by MPErin O'Toole. From my recollection, on his CSIS threat briefing, he spoke of concrete funding of a misinformation product through the United Front Work Department directed from Beijing.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I believe it's accurate to say that the United Front Work Department has a very large and sophisticated network of community proxies. I just reported, in my first story for The Bureau several days ago, citing the NSICOP 2019 foreign interference review, that the consul general in Vancouver, round about 2015, boasted of controlling over 100 community groups.