Public Inquiry Grapples With Definition of Foreign Interference in Its Final Week

Public Inquiry Grapples With Definition of Foreign Interference in Its Final Week
Inquiry commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue listens to testimony at the federal inquiry into foreign interference in Ottawa on Oct. 16, 2024. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick
The Canadian Press
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A federal public inquiry into foreign interference is grappling with how to define its central issue as it begins the final week of hearings in Ottawa.

The inquiry will hear from expert panels this week on disinformation, national security and how to ensure electoral integrity.

This morning, experts talked about the challenge in differentiating between legitimate diplomatic efforts and more nefarious interference attempts.

This panel also includes the challenge of how to regulate efforts to interfere in elections without infringing on the rights to free expression.

Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue is tasked with examining efforts of foreign states like China, India and Russia to interfere in the last two federal elections and in Canada’s democracy.

A final report, which will make recommendations on how to ensure electoral integrity and strengthen democratic institutions, is due by the end of the year.