Canada's Foreign Interference Commission is set to release its final report, revealing potential links between federal politicians and foreign entities. The report will focus on protecting Canada's political system and electoral processes from foreign interference.
Commissioner Justice Marie-Josee Hogue is set to release the final report from Canada ’s Foreign Interference Commission on Tuesday, outlining recommendations for how Ottawa and its security and electoral agencies can better protect the country’s political system from foreign meddling. However, all eyes will be on what Justice Hogue says about federal politicians suspected of working for hostile powers.
The House of Commons asked the public inquiry to investigate a June 2024 report by an intelligence watchdog that said some parliamentarians are “semi-witting or witting” participants of efforts by foreign states to interfere in Canadian politics. The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) said it has read “troubling intelligence” suggesting that some federal politicians accepted funds from foreign governments, leaked classified information to foreign-intelligence officers, or provided privileged information to foreign diplomats about fellow parliamentarians.Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong expressed hope that Justice Hogue will recommend that Ottawa release the names of parliamentarians who colluded with foreign powers against Canada’s interests. “Canadians deserve to know before the next election so they can make an informed choice at the ballot box,” Mr. Chong said. Justice Hogue and her public inquiry team have access to all the secret information on these alleged activities, although the Inquiries Act does not allow her to publicly name politicians suspected of wittingly or unwittingly participating in foreign interference. While she has promised to address the allegations in the classified version of her final report, she has said Canadians will not be left completely in the dark about what transpired.NSICOP’s conclusion differs from that of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who suggested that the all-party committee had overreached in its conclusions. Mr. Trudeau testified that he had not seen evidence of any MP who committed treason. Stephanie Carvin, a former national-security analyst and a professor at Carleton University, emphasized the need for the commission to resolve this discrepancy. “At the end of the day, we were given two different stories where NSICOP said people were wittingly or unwittingly collaborating with foreign governments, and then you had the government saying, ‘No, we don’t see it that way.’ And I think Canadians deserve some kind of clarification or answer as to what the truth of the matter is.”In the government’s submission to the inquiry in November, it noted that Mr. Trudeau’s national-security and intelligence adviser, Nathalie Drouin, also testified that “she has not seen evidence of any MP who undertook espionage or sabotage activities or any MP that imperiled the security of Canada.” Regardless of Justice Hogue’s ruling, the Centre for International Governance Innovation said in its submission that the commission’s report “must produce a compelling factual, evidence-based analysis” of the allegations. “This analysis should be accompanied by an assessment of Parliament’s vulnerabilities to future foreign interference campaigns and recommendations on how parliamentarians can better equip themselves to deal with FI efforts that might target them or their staff.”Also unknown is what Justice Hogue will say about allegations from Mr. Trudeau in his October 16 testimony. He told the inquiry that he received highly classified intelligence that Conservative Party politicians and members were involved in or were susceptible to foreign interference. He later acknowledged that Liberals and members of other political parties were also compromised. Mr. Trudeau also pointed to the NSICOP report that alleged there was foreign interference in the 2022 leadership contest in which Mr. Poilievre was elected. NSICOP did not identify whether this interference involved Mr. Poilievre or other candidates. It is still unclear if the intelligence the Prime Minister was referring to came from the NSICOP report or more recent intelligence.Mr. Trudeau urged Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre to obtain a national-security clearance so he would be aware of foreign-interference activities affecting the Conservative caucus. Mr. Poilievre has so far refused to do so. Instead, Mr. Poilievre demanded that Mr. Trudeau release the names of MPs in every party who have collaborated with foreign states. He accused Mr. Trudeau of making up the allegations to distract attention from his internal leadership troubles and allegations that “he knowingly allowed Beijing to interfere and help him win two elections.”For the most part, the inquiry’s final report is expected to focus on protecting elections and countering disinformation and harassment of diaspora communities
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE CANADA POLITICS ELECTIONS INQUIRY COMMISSION NATIONAL SECURITY INTELLIGENCE PARLIAMENT POLITICIANS
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Canada's Elections Task Force to Monitor Liberal Leadership Race for Foreign InterferenceCanada's elections intelligence task force will be closely watching the Liberal Party's leadership race for any signs of foreign interference, according to national security adviser Nathalie Drouin. While the Liberal Party has taken steps to prevent voter fraud, it remains unclear how it will monitor and address potential foreign meddling in the race.
Read more »
Canada's Elections Task Force to Monitor Liberal Leadership Race for Foreign InterferenceCanada's elections intelligence task force will be keeping a close eye on the Liberal party's leadership race for any signs of foreign interference. While the Liberal party has taken steps to prevent voter fraud, experts say more needs to be done to ensure the integrity of the process. The task force, established in 2019, includes representatives from various security agencies and is tasked with protecting the electoral process from foreign meddling.
Read more »
Canada to Monitor Liberal Leadership Race for Foreign InterferenceCanada's elections intelligence task force will monitor the Liberal party's leadership race for signs of foreign interference, national security adviser Nathalie Drouin said. The task force, formed in 2019 to protect elections, will watch for any attempts by foreign actors to influence the outcome of the race. The Liberal party has taken steps to prevent voter fraud, but experts say more needs to be done to ensure the integrity of the election.
Read more »
Canada Prepares for Liberal Leadership Race Amidst Foreign Interference ConcernsAs the Liberal Party prepares for its first leadership race since 2013, concerns about foreign interference are mounting. The Security and Intelligence Threats to Election Task Force (SITE) will be actively monitoring the race and providing updates to ensure the integrity of the process.
Read more »
Final report on foreign interference in Canada's elections to be released January 28The Public Inquiry Into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions will release its final report on January 28 after reviewing hundreds of documents and hearing hours of testimony. The report, by Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue, will examine the extent of foreign interference in Canada's past two federal elections and whether information was shared effectively with relevant authorities.
Read more »
Final Report on Foreign Interference in Canada Due Next WeekThe final report of the federal inquiry into foreign interference in Canada is scheduled for public release next Tuesday. The commission of inquiry focused on the ability of agencies and officials to identify and counter foreign meddling. In an interim report released in May, Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue stated that while interference by China may have impacted a small number of ridings in the last two general elections, it did not affect the overall results.
Read more »