His real name is Ma Wing-tsung, but his friends call him “Proxy”.

The exchange on Thursday struck some online observers as extraordinary, in part due to the standing of the witness: Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a 37-year veteran of the federal public service who served on the Canada-China Joint Committee on Science and Technology for the final seven years of her government career, holds a master’s degree in International Relations with a focus on China, and has visited China multiple times since 1979.

Michael Ma, the member of Parliament for Markham-Unionville, opened his questioning by asking McCuaig-Johnston whether she held an advanced degree in cybersecurity — framing it as a yes-or-no question. She replied that she did not, but added: “I have spent 37 years in that business. Ok.”

Ma interjected repeatedly, pressing her for “short answers.” He noted that she is affiliated with the China Strategic Risk Institute, a line of questioning that appeared designed to suggest the witness was professionally predisposed to identify threats emanating from Beijing.

He then asked: “This question then, is — you claim about forced labour in Xinjiang. Have you witnessed this yourself? Have you been there ever?”

“Sorry, I’m late for a meeting.”