Foreign interference in Canada’s election hearings begin today
“China has been asserting influence in Canada since at least the 1980s”
The Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions (PIFI) has released its witness list for the public hearings that begin on today in Ottawa.
The Commission will hold a second set of hearings in March to examine and assess interference by China, Russia and other foreign states. The issue of foreign interference in Canada’s elections processes, including riding-level events and leadership races, exploded in the media in 2023 when a whistle blower from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service came forward with alarming information. The whistleblower says that foreign entities including China have been interfering in Canadian elections since the 1980s.
The National Security Confidentiality hearings, beginning on January 29th and lasting five days, will identify the challenges, limitations and potential adverse impacts associated with the disclosure of classified national security information and intelligence to the public. Disclosure of such documents would be called for as PIFI looks at foreign interference in Canadian elections.
Michel Juneau-Katsuya, a former senior official with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, says China has been asserting influence in Canada since at least the 1980s.
“I want to be very clear. We can prove that every federal government from Mr. Mulroney to Mr. Trudeau (has) been compromised by agents of Communist China. Every government was informed at one point or another. Every government chose to ignore CSIS warnings,” former CSIS agent Michael Juneau-Katsuya told the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs on May 11, 2023.
Juneau-Katsuya suggests the government require MPs to take briefings on foreign interference, and also to confirm they are not under anyone’s influence. He also believes MPs and cabinet ministers should face restrictions on what they can do for foreign states in their post-political life. in their post-political life for foreign states.
🚨🚨🚨Former CSIS intelligence officer, Michael Juneau-Katsuya 🇨🇦 claims that the government of Canada has been INFILTRATED and COMPROMISED for a very LONG time 😳 :
— Kevin – WE THE PEOPLE❤️ – DAD🦁 🐉 🔥 (@bambkb) December 31, 2023
“I want to be very CLEAR, we have PROOF that every government from Mr. Mulroney to Justin Trudeau is compromised… pic.twitter.com/5Fx4j3aZgx
Determining how to handle secrets and intelligence documents required in the hearing will be one of the biggest challenges that the Commission will face, according to Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue.
“I look forward to hearing from experts, academics and practitioners in the field of national security to help us identify strategies that will allow us to share as much information with Canadians as possible through our hearings and reports, even though much of the information that we receive will originate from classified documents and sources,” she said.
The parameters for the first week of hearings are set out in the Commission’s Terms of Reference.
Day 1 (January 29): The first day of the hearings will begin with an opening statement by the Commissioner and will include introductions by the Participants and presentations by Commission Counsel.
Day 2 (January 30): Expert Panel: Balancing National Security and the Public Interest
- Presentations by and discussions with Professors Pierre Trudel (Université de Montréal), Michael Nesbitt (University of Calgary) and Leah West (Carleton University).
Day 3 (January 31): Expert Panel: National Security Confidentiality: Perspectives from Experience
- Presentations by and discussions with former CSIS Director Richard Fadden and former CSIS Assistant Director Alan Jones
Day 4: Witnesses (February 1)
- David Vigneault, Director, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
- Alia Tayyeb, Deputy Chief of Signals Intelligence, Communications Security Establishment Canada
- Dan Rogers, Deputy National Security and Intelligence Advisor, Privy Council Office
Day 5: Witness and submissions (February 2)
- Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
- Closing Submissions of Participants
The Government of Canada created the Foreign Interference Commission to respond to concerns about foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. The Commission will also examine the flow of information within the federal government in relation to these issues, evaluate the actions taken in response, assess the federal government’s capacity to detect, deter, and counter foreign interference, and make recommendations on these issues. The Commission will complete an interim report due by May 3, 2024, and deliver its final report by December 31, 2024.
