Trudeau and ministers will testify at foreign interference inquiry

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, cabinet ministers and other senior officials are set to testify over a two-week period as the foreign interference inquiry resumes public hearings on Wednesday, March 27.

Members of diaspora communities, political party representatives and representatives from Elections Canada are also on deck to provide testimony.

A full list of the roughly 40 witnesses is expected to be released early next week.

“A goal for these hearings is to give citizens a better understanding of the foreign interference threats our electoral system may have faced in the 2019 and 2021 elections, the protective mechanisms that were in place, and the potential impact, if any, on the integrity of the elections,” Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue said in a statement.

These are being described as “Stage 1” of the hearings, which will focus on potential interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. This is expected to cover the flow of information to senior-decision makers during the election periods and the weeks that followed.

“These hearings will mark the next milestone in our work. Further public hearings, with a broader focus on our democratic institutions and the experiences of diaspora communities, will take place in the fall of 2024,” Hogue said.

2:34 Trudeau says government has ‘taken action’ against foreign interference

The upcoming hearings, which are expected to run until April 10, are the latest in the public inquiry, which kicked off on Jan. 29, after a week of hearings that looked into how much national security information could be made public.

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A top-secret briefing report obtained by Global News in January showed Canada is aware China tried to influence the last two federal elections.

In February, the Conservatives also requested the public inquiry look into Iranian influence in Canada, which came amid concerns about Iran’s campaign of intimidation across North America.

The commission is scheduled to release an initial report by May 3, 2024 and deliver its final report by the end of the year.

— With files from Global News’ Sean Previl.