Conservative MP Michael Chong reacts to the Initial Report from the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions in Ottawa on May 3.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Update: The federal government will not release the names of parliamentarians who were accused in a national-security watchdog report of knowingly working with foreign states to meddle in Canadian democracy, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said on June 6. Read more here.
The classified version of a national-security watchdog report that alleged some parliamentarians are knowingly helping foreign governments meddle in Canadian democracy identifies some of those accused, a senior government source confirmed, as the Official Opposition demanded the minority Liberals release the names.
The Globe and Mail is not identifying the source because they were not permitted to disclose the contents of the classified report.
On Monday, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), a review body set up by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, released a report that said a number of federal politicians are collaborating with countries such as India and China. Among the allegations are that they shared privileged information with foreign diplomats and accepted money from foreign governments or their proxies.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on Wednesday urged the Liberal government to identify these parliamentarians.
“Canadians have the right to know who,” Mr. Poilievre said.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said it would be irresponsible to identify the parliamentarians.
“The Leader of the Opposition knows very well that no government, including the former government, of which he was a member, is going to discuss particularities of intelligence information publicly,” Mr. LeBlanc said.
He invited Mr. Poilievre to apply for a security clearance so he could read the classified version of the report.
A guide to foreign interference and China’s suspected influence in Canada
Were the government to name the parliamentarians in the House of Commons, anyone doing so would be protected from legal action by parliamentary immunity.
Despite Mr. LeBlanc’s assertion that “no government” would release sensitive intelligence, his own government did just that last September when Mr. Trudeau disclosed to the House of Commons that it believed India was behind the assassination of a Sikh Canadian activist in June, 2023.
The NSICOP report is the latest to outline deficiencies in how the government addresses meddling by foreign powers in Canadian democracy.
The committee, made up of MPs from all major parties as well as senators, detailed collaborations between federal politicians and foreign governments, including “communicating frequently with foreign missions before or during a political campaign to obtain support from community groups or businesses which the diplomatic missions promise to quietly mobilize in a candidate’s favour.”
NSICOP reported Monday that some parliamentarians are “accepting knowingly, or through willful blindness, funds or benefits from foreign missions or their proxies which have been layered or otherwise disguised to conceal their source.”
It said some federal politicians are giving foreign diplomats information on the work or opinions of fellow parliamentarians, knowing it will be used to put pressure on MPs to change their positions.
The watchdog’s report also alleged Chinese and Indian interference in Conservative leadership races. Conservative Party spokesperson Sarah Fischer said “this is the first time we have heard about it,” adding that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service had not advised the party “of any intelligence suggesting there was foreign interference in the leadership contest.”
Former Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole, who believes that foreign interference cost his party as many as six to nine seats in the 2021 election, said parliamentarians found to be colluding with foreign powers should be stripped of their rights as MPs or senators.
He also said he believes there should be more regulation of nomination races – where parties pick candidates – as well as leadership contests.
Mr. O’Toole said diaspora politics, or the courting of ethnic blocs of voters, has gone too far in federal politics.
“The sad part of it is that diaspora politics has become exploited in some instances within all of the parties so that some of the people elected don’t see how inappropriate their own conduct is,” he said. “And no one tells them ‘You should not be having weekly meetings with the Chinese consul-general and giving them updates on what’s being talked about.’”
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was mum Wednesday when asked to elaborate on comments earlier this week where she said that the Liberal Party would conduct an internal follow-up after the watchdog’s report. Neither the Liberal Party nor the Prime Minister’s Office would answer questions about the review on Wednesday.
In a statement Wednesday the RCMP, normally reticent to discuss matters being hotly debated on Parliament Hill, endorsed the report from the national-security and intelligence committee. “The NSICOP report is bringing important attention to this matter, and this attention is an important tool in combatting foreign interference.”
RCMP Sergeant Kim Chamberland said the force would not confirm whether there is an active criminal investigation into any parliamentarian. But, she said, the RCMP “can confirm there are investigations into a broad range of foreign interference in Canada, including matters which intersect with democratic institutions.”
Not all major federal political parties would explicitly commit, when asked, to expelling from their caucus a parliamentarian found to be collaborating with a foreign government. The Globe asked the Liberals, the Conservatives, the NDP and the Bloc Québécois.
The PMO referred questions to Mr. LeBlanc’s office. LeBlanc spokesman Jean-Sébastien Comeau referred The Globe to past comments from Mr. LeBlanc that didn’t address the questions posed.
Sebastian Skamski, director of media relations for Mr. Poilievre, said Conservatives don’t have access to intelligence held by the government on the parliamentarians but would “take appropriate action” if names were provided.
NDP national director Lucy Watson said NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh as a first step would seek a classified briefing to read this watchdog report without any redactions.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said earlier this week that every caucus should ask their MPs to reflect on whether they may have been involved in foreign interference, either through discussions or things like accepting gifts.
“If we came to the conclusion that one member of my caucus would have been involved in such activities, he could not remain part of the caucus, that’s clear,” Mr. Blanchet said.
No major federal political party on Wednesday would explicitly commit to supporting a recommendation in the watchdog report that called for nomination races to come under the jurisdiction of the Canada Elections Act. The law currently regulates some financial aspects of nomination contests but does not establish rules for how they are conducted, on who may vote or participate in the process, or how they are run.
The Liberals noted that Mr. LeBlanc said earlier this week that he is open to changes to nomination contests. Mr. LeBlanc also said he has every confidence in the rules that the Liberal Party has in place relating to nomination races. “Nomination contests are governed by rules which are internal to each political party – for the government to legislate on that is very sensitive,” the minister said Monday.
The Conservatives offered no indication that they would support greater regulation of nomination contests, saying they have faith in existing rules. “Conservative membership rules dictate that only citizens and permanent residents can participate. What’s more, memberships can only be purchased with personal credit card, personal cheque or personal bank draft,” Mr. Skamski said.
The NDP’s Ms. Watson said only that “our process for establishing nomination rules is rigorous but we are reviewing our candidate vetting process to ensure that we are screening for any concerns about foreign interference.”
When asked about nomination contests, the Bloc’s Julien Coulombe-Bonnafous said the party is still examining the committee’s recommendations.