Canadian PM Trudeau Expands Inquiry into Alleged Foreign Influence in Elections

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has agreed to expand a public investigation into allegations of foreign interference in elections, after pressure from opposition parties. The probe will examine whether unnamed federal-level elected officials participated in efforts by foreign states, including China and India, to influence Canadian politics.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced an expansion of a public investigation into allegations of foreign interference in elections, following pressure from opposition parties. The inquiry will examine whether unnamed federal-level elected officials participated in efforts by foreign states, including China and India, to influence Canadian politics.

The decision comes after the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) released a special report last week claiming that some elected officials have been "in the words of the intelligence services, ‘semi-witting or witting’ participants in the efforts of foreign states to interfere in our politics."

Trudeau was asked about the report at a press conference in Quebec City on Monday. Responding to a question about whether the allegations rise to the level of treason, Trudeau emphasized the seriousness of foreign interference and expressed support for the proposed expansion of the probe.

"I think it’s extremely important that we continue to take foreign interference with all the seriousness that it requires, which is why we will be supporting the Bloc Québécois motion to send the report and the concerns raised in it to Commissioner [Marie-Josée] Hogue's work to make sure there is a clear process whereby Canadians can have confidence in the integrity of the democracy," Trudeau said.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called on Truduea’s Liberal government to name the lawmakers referenced in the redacted report. However, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc stated that doing so would violate the law. LeBlanc did agree to an expanded public inquiry sought by the Bloc Québécois.

The Bloc Québécois introduced a motion to broaden the scope of the Hogue Commission, which was already investigating foreign interference and elected meddling since September, "to investigate parliamentarians who may have voluntarily or involuntarily worked for the interests of powers foreign."

The commission was initially tasked by Trudeau last fall amid allegations that the Chinese government had mobilized voters against a Conservative candidate in western Canada and helped elect another candidate as a Liberal in the Toronto area.

Several opposition legislators have condemned the alleged actions, with Conservative party legislator Jasraj Singh Hallan stating that "Certain members of this House acted in the best interest of hostile foreign regimes interfering in Canada's democracy. This is a disgusting betrayal of Canadians who elected us."

Meanwhile, René Villemure, Bloc Québécois ethics spokesperson, said, "It is unacceptable that deputies or senators can serve, whether without their knowledge or not, as intermediaries for foreign powers hostile to our democracy."

It remains unclear whether the report will result in criminal charges.

In a separate part of the press conference, Trudeau took the opportunity to condemn conservative and far-right party wins in France and elsewhere following the European Parliament elections. He expressed concern over the rise of populist right-wing forces and emphasized the importance of responding to and solving the underlying challenges facing society.

The NSICOP's special report on "foreign interference in Canada’s democratic processes and institutions" was released on June 3. Its findings include that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and Communications Security Establishment (CSE) "produced a body of intelligence that showed that foreign actors used deceptive and clandestine methods to cultivate relationships with Canadians who they believed would be useful in advancing their interests – particularly members of Parliament and senators – with a view of having the Canadian act in favour of the foreign actor and against Canada’s interests."

The report noted that while in some cases parliamentarians were unaware of foreign interference, "some elected officials, however, began wittingly assisting foreign state actors soon after their election." The report was redacted to remove sensitive information, but it indicates that there are examples of members of Parliament who worked to influence their colleagues on India’s behalf and proactively provided confidential information to Indian officials.

Without naming the lawmaker in question, the redacted report mentions another "textbook example of foreign interference that saw a foreign state support a witting politician." Canadian intelligence agencies provided specific intelligence to the party’s secret-cleared representatives shortly before the election and to the Prime Minister shortly after, and Trudeau discussed the incident with the committee and the steps he took in response.

According to the report, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) remains "the largest foreign interference threat to Canada." However, since 2019, Russia has shifted its focus elsewhere, while India has emerged as the "second-most significant foreign interference threat to Canada’s democratic institutions and processes."

The report notes that the PRC's foreign interference efforts are sophisticated, persistent, and multidimensional, targeting all levels of government and various aspects of society. The CSIS assessed that the Chinese government believes in a quid pro quo arrangement, where any engagement with the PRC by members of Parliament will result in the PRC mobilizing its support network in their favor.

The report also states that the PRC has provided support to lawmakers in ridings with large numbers of ethnic Chinese voters and close relationships with the Chinese ethnocultural community. The CSIS found that during the period under review, foreign states attempted to covertly buy influence with candidates and elected officials.

The PRC is also alleged to have used intermediaries to provide funds likely to support candidates in the 2019 federal election. The report claims that CSIS could not confirm that the funds reached any candidate.

Additionally, the report mentions "CSIS information that an Indian proxy claims to have repeatedly transferred funds from India to politicians at all levels of government in return for political favours, including raising issues in Parliament at the proxy’s request."