Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister, appeared this Wednesday before the commission in charge of investigating possible foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. In his appointment before this commission chaired by Marie-Josée Hogue, judge of the Court of Appeal of Quebec , Trudeau stated that both elections “were fair and decided by Canadians.”
Trudeau indicated that, unlike previous governments, his has put in place mechanisms to confront intervention efforts by other countries, although he acknowledged that Canada “must do more to fight foreign interference.” He premiere Canadian added that he looks forward to the recommendations of this commission “to see how we can further strengthen the protection of our institutions and our democracy.” The issue has been a real headache for the Liberal Government for more than a year.
The newspaper The Globe and Mailand the Global News chain, citing documents from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, stated in February 2023 that China wanted to intervene in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections; These attempts were made, according to sources, through a disinformation campaign and through support for certain candidates. Prime Minister Trudeau reacted a few days after the dissemination of this information, pointing out that a group of senior officials had concluded that these interference efforts had had no impact on the results of the elections.
However, the pressure from the opposition did not decrease, so on March 15, 2023, Trudeau appointed David Johnston – former Governor General of Canada – to investigate the matter. Johnston concluded on May 23 that the launch of a commission of inquiry would not be necessary. After new pressure, he resigned from the task on June 9. In early September, Trudeau announced the launch of a commission headed by Marie-Josée Hogue.
The hearings of this body resumed on March 26, after a series of preliminary meetings in January. In one of the most anticipated appearances, Erin O'Toole – leader of the Conservative Party of Canada between 2020 and 2022 – maintained on April 3 that her group lost between five and nine seats in the 2021 elections due to a disinformation campaign, orchestrated by China, in British Columbia and Ontario. “The small number of seats had no impact on the minority government that Canada currently has, but it could have allowed me greater moral justification to remain the Conservative leader,” she said. O'Toole was removed as Tory leader in February 2022. Beijing has at various times denied its plans to interfere in the Canadian elections.
Documents from the Canadian Intelligence and Security Service, presented last week before the commission, indicated a high level of suspicion that both China and India sent money to their agents installed in the North American country to try to intervene in the elections. Other reports indicate that Russia, Iran and Pakistan have also sought to have electoral interference in Canada, although to a lesser extent.
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This Wednesday, Justin Trudeau told the commission that intelligence leaks to the media cannot be refuted without declassifying secret information. Trudeau added that revealing such information could endanger members of the security services. Karina Gould, former Minister of Democratic Institutions, minimized in her appearance the impact of the attempts by other countries, stressing that “they did not affect the ability of Canadians to hold free and fair elections.” For his part, Bill Blair, Minister of National Defense, indicated that the information provided by the security services “must be evaluated in a broader context to determine what decisions must be made.”
In total, about 40 people will appear before the commission (deputies, ministers, members of civil associations, intelligence officials, representatives of the electoral apparatus, among others). Some of the testimonies have been heard behind closed doors. Furthermore, 80% of the documents consulted contain confidential information. Judge Hogue must present a first report on May 3 and a final report no later than December.
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