52 Percent of Canadians Say Foreign Interference Played ‘Major’ Role in Country’s Elections: Poll

Commissioner Justice Marie-Josee Hogue makes her way on stage to deliver remarks on the interim report following its release at the Public Inquiry Into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions, in Ottawa on May 3, 2024. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

More than half of Canadians say foreign governments have interfered “significantly” in recent elections, according to a newly released poll.

Fifty-two percent of those surveyed either strongly or somewhat agree that foreign interference has played a major role in Canadian elections in recent years, the Ipsos poll found.

Canadians also lack confidence in the foreign interference inquiry led by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue to determine if Beijing interfered in the 2019 and 2021 elections, the poll found.

“Notably, only four in 10 express confidence that the inquiry led by Justice Hogue into foreign government interference will get to the bottom of what has been going on,” Mr. Bricker said.

While 44 percent of those polled said they are confident the inquiry will provide clarity, 33 percent were less sure.

Thirty-seven percent of respondents said the issue of foreign interference has been exaggerated by the media and opposition politicians, while 41 percent disagreed.

“There is division on whether the issue is overblown or not,” Ipsos CEO of public affairs Darrell Bricker noted in a May 21 release announcing the results.

Canadians are also split on the effectiveness of Bill C-70, the Countering Foreign Interference Act. The legislation will amend the Canadian Criminal Code to make foreign interference a criminal offence, create a foreign agent registry, and make changes to how the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) collects and shares information.

Forty-three percent said they believed the legislation would eliminate foreign interference in Canadian federal politics, while 32 percent somewhat agree and 30 percent disagree.

Agreement was highest among those in the 18 to 34 age bracket at 53 percent and was also high among men and those living in Quebec, both at 48 percent.

Liberal supporters had the most confidence in Bill C-70 at 62 percent compared to NDP voters at 44 percent, and Tory voters at 40 percent.

Roughly one-quarter of Canadians said they didn’t know enough to have an opinion on any of the questions posed by Ipsos.

The Liberal government was initially hesitant to order an investigation into foreign interference and instead appointed former Governor General David Johnston as special rapporteur last March to determine if an inquiry was necessary.

Backlash about his ties to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Trudeau family led Mr. Johnston to announce his resignation a few months later, saying he would resign as soon as he finished his report.

Under heavy political pressure, the Liberals later established the foreign interference commission, charging it with examining allegations of interference by China, Russia and other states in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian federal elections.

The inquiry concluded its core public hearings phase April 12 and released a 194-page interim report on foreign interference May 3.

Commissioner Hogue, in her initial report, called China the most serious foreign interference threat faced by Canada. She also found that while interference didn’t change which party formed the government after the 2019 and 2021 elections, it may have impacted results in a small number of ridings.

Ms. Hogue is expected to file her final report by the end of December.