Ottawa is nearing the “final stages” of talks to set up an inquiry into foreign interference in Canada, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says.
The minority Liberal government, whose cabinet ministers are meeting in Charlottetown this week, began inquiry talks with opposition parties in June after David Johnston, the special rapporteur looking into allegations of foreign interference, resigned the role amid accusations of bias.
LeBlanc said the government is talking to sitting judges in its bid to find someone to lead the inquiry.
“We are arriving at the final stages,” LeBlanc told reporters in French on Tuesday, adding that complex questions about structure and management of such a probe are for practical purposes already agreed on.
He also noted in French: “We are not finished yet. We’ve made enormous progress, and we are very close.”
LeBlanc added it is taking time because there are specific protocols that must be followed when dealing with judges currently on the bench.
He would not confirm or deny reports that the government hasn’t been able to find anyone willing to take on the role following the debacle that faced Johnston, who had said his role became mired in partisan fighting.
LeBlanc said he sought advice from Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice Richard Wagner on the appropriate way to speak with sitting judges about leading the inquiry.
He added he is optimistic the government will find the appropriate leader on whom all parties can agree.
Opposition parties have been demanding a public inquiry for months and the Liberals initially balked at the idea, instead tapping Johnston to lead a probe into the matter.
They asked him to advise before the end of May whether an inquiry was warranted. He concluded that because so many of the matters were cloaked in secrecy due to national security implications, a public inquiry would be less useful.
The Conservatives were outraged and accused Johnston of bias because of past ties to the family of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as well as the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, created in honour of his father.
Johnston denied any partisan bias and the Liberals pointed out repeatedly that he was appointed governor general on the advice of then-Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper, but he decided to step down from the role.
Last week, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said she took part in the top-secret briefing, but said it contained documents that cited numerous intelligence reports she was not allowed to read. She has asked the Privy Council Office to make those documents available.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has also received top-secret security clearance but as of last week, he had not yet received a confidential briefing, which officials say can only take place in the Ottawa region.
When Trudeau offered to bring all opposition party leaders into the fold, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet declined. They said they saw it as a trap designed to prevent them from speaking about the allegations in public.
Poilievre on Monday accused the Liberals of stalling, suggesting that Trudeau benefits when foreign states meddle in elections.
“The holdup is Justin Trudeau,” he told reporters on Parliament Hill.
“He’s blocking an inquiry; he didn’t introduce a foreign influence registry to identify those paid agents who work for foreign dictators to manipulate our politics.”
The Liberals have said they will consult on a foreign agent registry but have offered no specifics on its scope or timeline.
— with files from The Canadian Press