The Liberal government says it will support an opposition push for the public inquiry into foreign interference to broaden its scope and also look into allegations Canadian parliamentarians colluded with other states.
The Bloc Québécois introduced a motion requesting the terms of reference of the inquiry be expanded to include startling allegations that federal politicians “wittingly” participated in foreign interference schemes over the last five years.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would support the move during a news conference in Quebec City.
“I think it’s extremely important we continue to take foreign interference with all the seriousness 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 Hogue’s work, to make sure there is a clear process whereby Canadians can have confidence in the integrity of the democracy,” he said.
Trudeau was also asked if the allegations, in his view, “rise to the level of treason” but did not answer the question.
As it stands, the Hogue commission’s mandate is to “examine and assess” interference by China, Russia and other foreign states and “any impacts” on the 2019 and 2021 elections, meaning some of the allegations revolving around parliamentarians may fall outside the inquiry’s current scope.
Last week, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) released a 92-page document containing allegations parliamentarians are working with foreign states, including sharing confidential information, meeting a “known intelligence officer” and accepting funds or favours.
The committee of parliamentarians, which is made up of MPs from all parties, “examined information” gathered between Sept. 1, 2018 and March 15 of this year.
Both the NDP and Conservatives say they support the Bloc motion and accuse the government of mishandling the file.
“They won’t release the names of MPs in this government doing dirty work for foreign hostile regimes,” said Conservative MP Jasraj Singh Hallan during question period Monday. “Canadian need to know who these MPs are.”
The Liberal government is resisting calls to identify parliamentarians who allegedly collaborated with foreign governments, saying it is bound by Canada’s official secrets law, and that the intelligence may be incomplete or out of context.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said referring the matter to the Hogue commission is “a responsible way to proceed, not simply standing up and illegally announcing a list of names like my colleague suggests.”
Last month, the public inquiry into foreign interference – led by Hogue – released an interim report outlining “troubling events” in the last two elections, which undermined the rights of Canadian voters but were not found to have changed the result of the election itself.
Hogue’s findings described China’s “sophisticated, pervasive and persistent” attempt to meddle in Canada’s democratic institutions.
Global News has asked the inquiry whether it has requested classified documents from the Liberal government containing allegations parliamentarians are colluding with foreign states and is waiting for a response.
Both the Bloc and NDP have pledged to kick MPs out of their parties, if there is evidence they collaborated with a foreign power.
“If it’s clear to me, they knowingly worked with a foreign government to undermine Canada, I will immediately remove them from caucus,” Singh told reporters Monday.
While the NSICOP report was made public last week, the Liberals have had a copy of it since March.
“The prime minister has known for 11 weeks and done nothing,” said Singh.
Last Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland suggested it’s up to the RCMP to decide the next steps.
“Law enforcement bodies of jurisdiction are seized of the issue,” she said.
But the NSICOP report said the laws are not necessarily on the books to prosecute parliamentarians who “wittingly” collaborated with foreign states.
“Some (of the activities) may be illegal, but are unlikely to lead to criminal charges, owing to Canada’s failure to address the long-standing issue of protecting classified information and methods in judicial processes,” the report warned.
The Liberal government tabled Bill C-70, a sweeping piece of legislation meant to tackle foreign interference, which would include a registry of people in Canada acting on behalf of foreign governments.
But it’s unclear whether it will be in place by the next federal election, which is slated for October 2025.
“We have put in place more tools to fight foreign interference than any previous government,” Freeland told reporters Friday.
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