Liberal MPs Push to Block Foreign Nationals From Voting in Leadership Race

A stagehand works on the stage in between presenters at the 2023 Liberal National Convention in Ottawa on May 4, 2023. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

A number of Liberal MPs are saying the vote to choose their new party leader should only be open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents amid foreign interference concerns.

The Liberal Party allows anyone over 14 years old who “ordinarily” resides in Canada to become a party member, at no cost. Having Canadian status is not a requirement to become a registered Liberal, with the party saying this favours inclusivity.

Current party rules for nomination contests would allow, for instance, a foreign national teenager slated for deportation by the border agency for overstaying their visa to vote for the next party leader, and in this particular case, the next Canadian prime minister.

With the leadership race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kicking into gear, several Liberal MPs have raised the alarm, calling for the party to put a more robust process in place to prevent foreign meddling.

The Liberal caucus held a lengthy special meeting in Ottawa on Jan. 8, where party executives were present to discuss the upcoming race. MPs speaking to reporters after the meeting said the message about strengthening the process was raised with the executives.

“Oh, they were listening,” Ontario MP Charles Sousa said when asked whether the party’s national board of directors has given any assurances on the process.

“They made very clear that they are recognizing the concerns, and they want to address them, and they’re going to deliberate as to how to protect the interests of Canadians,” he said.

B.C. MP Taleeb Noormohamed said there’s a consensus within his provincial caucus that only citizens and permanent residents should be allowed to vote in the contest.

“A lot of us raised the issue and raised the concern about making sure that this race for leader is absolutely secure,” he said after the national caucus meeting.

The Liberal national board of directors is meeting this week to set the contest rules, in response to Trudeau announcing on Jan. 6 he will resign once a new party leader is elected. Everything from the date of the vote, to the entry fee, and spending limits for contestants needs to be determined.

The Liberal Party is likely aiming to finish the contest by March 24, when a new parliamentary session will start after the governor general granted prorogation to Trudeau.

Foreign Interference

By the time the race is over, the final report from the Foreign Interference Commission should have been tabled. First slated to be delivered by the end of 2024, the commission was granted an extension to the end of January 2025.

The commission’s interim report of May 2023 said foreign interference did take place in the 2019 and 2021 elections but didn’t affect the overall results. Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue added, however, that the results in some individual ridings could have been impacted.

The commission spent much time looking at the Liberal nomination contest of the Don Valley North riding of Toronto in 2019. Individuals close to the Chinese consulate allegedly meddled in the race, leading Hogue to write in her report that the “incident makes clear the extent to which nomination contests can be gateways for foreign states who wish to interfere in our democratic process.”

A few weeks after the commission’s interim report was released, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) released its bombshell report on foreign interference. It says that China and India allegedly interfered in Conservative leadership races.

This alleged meddling has been raised by Liberal MPs as a reason to strengthened the leadership race.

“I think the foreign interference has had more of an impact on Conservatives, including the leadership of the Conservative Party,” said Manitoba MP Kevin Lamoureux, who also supports letting only citizens and permanent residents vote in the race.

This concept of limiting who can vote is also part of recommendations made by Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perreault in his submission to the Foreign Interference Commission.

“Changing the law to permit only Canadians, or Canadians and permanent residents, to participate in nomination and leadership contests would directly limit foreign influence,” he wrote.

Newly appointed Public Safety Minister David McGuinty, who previously chaired NSICOP, would not comment on whether he supports changing party nomination rules. “The Liberal Party of Canada executive will obviously examine all these questions,” he said before the caucus meeting on Jan. 8.

Another avenue the Liberal Party could consider to help prevent foreign interference is closing down new membership sign-ups. According to current party rules, new members wishing to cast a ballot have to be registered 41 days before the vote.

Asked by reporters about closing new memberships, Employment Minister Steven MacKinnon said “that’s a party decision.”

“I will say this: I’ve never seen a leadership race where the door was closed before it began,” he said after the caucus meeting on Jan. 8.

MacKinnon said he’s waiting on the contest rules before deciding whether he'll run for leader. “I’m going to obviously measure the kind of support I think I can conjure,” he added.