MPs in a House of Commons committee passed a motion that calls on the federal government to launch a national public inquiry into China’s interference in Canadian elections.
On March 2, MPs on the
House Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) committee voted 6–5 in favour of a motion to call on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to launch an inquiry to examine recent reports of the Chinese Communist Party’s foreign interference operations in Canada that includes but is not limited to its meddling in the 2019 and 2021 elections. Liberal MPs voted against the motion introduced by NDP MP Peter Julian.
The motion, which is non-binding, would still have to be passed to the House to decide whether or not to accept the committee’s advice.
The vote came after the committee held a string of meetings
since last November to look into news reports citing leaked intelligence documents that intelligence officials had warned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several cabinet members that Beijing has been targeting Canadian elections with an extensive campaign of foreign interference.
Among the allegations are a Nov. 7, 2022, report by
Global News that China had provided funding to at least 11 candidates in the 2019 campaign, and reporting by the Globe and Mail in February that China had interfered in Canada’s elections with the aim in part to have a minority Liberal government elected.
The Conservatives made several amendments to Julian’s motion, which include adding words asking that the public inquiry investigate abuse of diaspora groups by hostile foreign governments, that the individual heading the inquiry be selected by all recognized parties in the House of Commons, and that the inquiry does not impact PROC’s study of the alleged foreign election interference.
“What I believe is appropriate to get to the bottom of this interference by way of an inquiry is an inquiry that is targeted and focused, that can produce a report in the near future,” said Tory MP Michael Cooper at the committee meeting.
Cooper noted that he hopes for an inquiry that could do its work publicly rather than behind closed doors, and deliver results.
“We need answers, and we need answers now, and that is why a targeted, narrow inquiry makes sense, and deals with these very specific allegations and revelations that have been brought forward,” he said.
Trudeau has
rejected calls for launching a public inquiry into China’s election interference, saying multiple mechanisms are in place to handle the investigation, including PROC and the National Security and Intelligence Committee of parliamentarians.
The NDP argued that as more reports come out, PROC may no longer be the most appropriate platform to continue the study of a case that involves highly-sensitive national security information, and therefore calls for a public inquiry.
Julian highlighted the allegations of election meddling, which “could possibly involve violations of Canada’s Elections Act.”
“This is a very serious allegation. And for the prime minister to say that he doesn’t believe a national public inquiry is warranted, I would have to profoundly disagree,” he said on March 2.
