Minister Leblanc Says Foreign Interference Inquiry ‘Real Close’ as Process to Find Commissioner Continues

Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc speaks to reporters during the Liberal Cabinet retreat in Charlottetown, P.E.I., on Aug. 22, 2023. Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press

Negotiations between parties over holding a public inquiry into foreign interference are going very well and talks are ongoing with prospective judges to preside over it, says Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic Leblanc.

“The good news is that we’re real close and I certainly share your excitement,” Mr. Leblanc told reporters on Aug. 22 in Charlottetown, outside the Liberal cabinet retreat.

The minister would not confirm a media report to the effect that a main hold-up is the government’s inability to find a commissioner. The National Post reported on Aug. 9 from anonymous sources that at least half a dozen current or retired judges have declined the job.

“I’m not going to confirm what some government officials said anonymously,” Mr. Leblanc said regarding the allegation. “I’m not gonna get into the details of sensitive discussions, in some cases with sitting judges.”

The minister, who was given additionally the public safety portfolio in the major July 26 cabinet shuffle, explained that proper protocol needs to be followed when reaching out to sitting judges.

He says officials from the Privy Council Office (PCO) are responsible for the process, which has to go through the chief judges.

“It’s not me who picks up the phone and calls a judge on a list to say ‘Hey, what are you doing in the next 18 months.’ That’s not how it works,” Mr. Leblanc said.

The minister mentioned having had two conversations with Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner to get his advice on how to proceed with the inquiry. His last conversation was in June, he said, while PCO officials spoke with Justice Wagner last week.

Mr. Leblanc says the mechanics of the inquiry have been mostly decided with opposition parties, a process that involved remote meetings during the summer vacation with House leaders from the Conservatives, the Bloc Québécois, and the NDP.

“The complicated issues of structure, framework, are essentially unanimously decided,” said Mr. Leblanc.

In early July, Conservatives said all parties had come to an agreement on the terms of reference for holding the inquiry.

On Aug. 21, Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre blamed the delay squarely on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“We gave them names, we gave them a mandate, and we’ve been waiting ever since,” said Mr. Poilievre. “The holdup is Justin Trudeau. Only Justin Trudeau has the authority to call a public inquiry.”

Mr. Trudeau said on the same day that the work on the terms of reference and on finding a commissioner was being done “in the best interests of all Canadians” and without “partisan toxicity” previously seen.

The Liberal government initially resisted holding a public inquiry, but pressure steadily built as national security leaks on Beijing’s interference in Canada’s democracy were regularly published in the press.

Mr. Trudeau instead appointed former governor general David Johnston as special rapporteur in March. Mr. Johnston resigned in June after presenting his report on interference which recommended against holding an inquiry.

Opposition parties questioned Mr. Johnston’s impartiality, given his ties to the Trudeau family and his top advisor being a Liberal Party donor.