OTTAWA—The Foreign Interference Commission’s final report says there is no evidence there are “traitors” in Parliament working with foreign states against Canada.
In the report released Jan. 28, Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue wrote there have been some instances of “marginal and largely ineffective” attempts by actors to curry favour with parliamentarians. “While the states’ attempts are troubling and there is some concerning conduct by parliamentarians, there is no cause for widespread alarm,” she wrote.
At a press conference announcing the report, Hogue said some parliamentarians “may have benefited from the support of a foreign state, sometimes without knowing anything about it, but again, so far, this does not seem to have led to any real gains for the states involved.”
She said she had not “seen any evidence to suggest that there are currently so-called traitors in Parliament.”
“While I saw evidence of some concerning behaviour, the evidence does not show any MPs plotting with foreign states against Canada’s interest,” she added.
In June 2024, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians had said some parliamentarians were “semi-witting or witting” participants of efforts by foreign states to interfere in Canadian politics. This revelation led to some parliamentarians demanding that the names of those MPs be released.
Hogue also wrote in her report that the spread of misinformation and disinformation by foreign actors poses the largest risk to Canada’s democracy. “In my view, it is no exaggeration to say that at this juncture, information manipulation—whether foreign or not—poses the single biggest risk to our democracy. It is an existential threat,” she said.
Hogue warned that while foreign states like China have traditionally attempted to interfere in Canada’s democracy by influencing elected officials, they are increasingly using the “even greater threat” of information manipulation to do so. She said disinformation is used by states to punish electoral candidates who have views counter to their own, retaliate against political decisions that harm their interests, and to sow mistrust in Canadian democracy.
However, Hogue said Canada’s democratic institutions have “thus far remained robust,” with the commission having found no evidence that the overall results of elections were impacted by foreign interference. Hogue said foreign interference has not resulted in any federal legislation or regulations being enacted or repealed, and parliamentarians have not declined to speak out or give opinions contrary to their own due to fear of consequences from foreign states.
The federal government was criticized in the report for taking too long to react to the threat of foreign interference, having insufficient coordination between key players, and being a “poor communicator and insufficiently transparent” when it comes to the threat. “The measures implemented over the past two years, along with several statements made on the matter, suggest that the government is now prioritizing the fight against foreign interference. This must continue,” Hogue wrote.
Hogue’s final report contains 51 recommendations to improve Canada’s ability to combat foreign interference and improve intelligence sharing, many of which she said could be implemented “perhaps even before the next election.”
It said that Ottawa should develop a whole-of-government foreign interference strategy and give a public timeline for its completion, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service should develop mechanisms to clearly flag reports that are important for lawmakers, and that a single hotline for reporting foreign interference should be established. It also said there should be a system for declassifying intelligence when it serves the public interest.
Hogue said in her report that the federal government had introduced several measures to combat foreign interference while the commission was carrying out its work, but they generally have “not been in place long enough for the Commission to assess their effectiveness.”
2019 and 2021 Elections
The commission’s two-year investigation into foreign interference in Canada, which involved the testimony of 150 witnesses and over 35 days of public hearings, examined alleged incidents of foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.This included “irregularities” in the September 2019 Liberal nomination contest in the Don Valley North riding. Intelligence documents said international students were bused to the riding to take part in the nomination vote, given fake documents by a known People’s Republic of China (PRC) proxy agent, and coerced into supporting candidate Han Dong’s nomination.
Dong went on to win the contest and become the Liberal MP in that riding, winning the election again in 2021. He stepped away from the Liberal Party caucus in 2023 to sit as an Independent following allegations of improper ties to Beijing. Media reports based on leaked information also alleged Dong had engaged with PRC officials and encouraged the Chinese regime to hold off on releasing Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor from detention.
Dong testified during the commission that he had consistently advocated for both men to be released, and Hogue said in the report that classified information corroborated this. “He did not suggest that the PRC extend their detention,” she said, adding that the incident showed that nomination contests can be “gateways” for foreign states to interfere in Canadian democracy.
The report noted that during the 2021 election, then-Conservative Leader Erin O‘Toole was targeted by inaccurate reports circulated by Chinese language media outlets with ties to the PRC, which said he wanted to ban the Chinese social media app WeChat and cut diplomatic ties with the China. O’Toole later said he and the Conservative Party were targeted because of their positions critical of the PRC.
During the same election, Conservative MP Kenny Chiu was also targeted with “false narratives” related to his proposal for a foreign influence registry, which alleged that any individual or group with ties to the Chinese regime would need to register. Chiu also said his attempts to counter these narratives were not picked up by Chinese-Canadian media outlets.
Hogue raised concerns in the report that Canada’s media ecosystem was not able to adequately “cleanse” these false narratives before the election occurred. “By the time disinformation fades away, it may often be too late. The damage to the democratic process or to those targeted may already be done,” she said.
Hogue said that while foreign interference did not undermine the integrity of the previous two federal elections or change which party came to power, the impact on individual ridings was a “more difficult question to answer.” She said it is possible that a small number of ridings were effected by foreign states, and that it is “regrettably” true that public confidence in democracy was harmed.
China Biggest Foreign Interference Threat
The report said China is the “most active perpetrator” of foreign interference targeting Canada’s democracy, and views the country as a “high-priority target” due to its large Chinese diaspora and membership in important defence alliances. The PRC targets all levels of government in Canada using proxy organizations and individuals, diplomatic channels like the United Front Work Department, social media, and cyberattacks.The report said that the PRC government targets Chinese-Canadians using diplomatic missions, PRC international students, and community organizations, while also using a person’s family and friends living in China as leverage against them. Overseas police stations have also presented “challenges” to Canada’s ability to respond, as some operations were “run by Canadian citizens” and thus those responsible could not be expelled from the country.
India was identified as the second most active country engaging in electoral foreign interference in Canada, with much of it related to India’s concern with Khalistani separatism—which seeks an independent Sikh homeland in northern India. The report said India continues to conduct foreign interference activities in the Indo-Canadian community, which includes giving illicit financial support to politicians to help pro-India candidates get elected.
The report said while Russia seeks to delegitimize democratic states through misinformation and disinformation campaigns, it “appears to lack the intent” to interfere with Canadian democracy. It also said Pakistan’s foreign interference activities relate to attempts to counter India’s growing influence, while Iran relies on transnational repression to prevent criticism of its government but has not historically been a significant foreign influence actor in Canada.
Several states have engaged in transnational repression in Canada, which involves monitoring, intimidating, and harassing diaspora communities to achieve their objectives. The report said it is difficult to know how widespread the phenomena is since many targeted individuals are reluctant to speak out for fear of reprisals, but also said it would be “challenging to overstate its seriousness, or the impact it has on individuals and our social fabric.”
The report stated that it had only “scratched the surface” of transnational repression in Canada, and that the government must meaningfully respond to the phenomena.
Establishment of Commission
The Foreign Interference was established in September 2023 following multiple intelligence leaks in the media depicting attempts by China to interfere in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau initially resisted holding a public inquiry into foreign interference, and instead hired former Governor General David Johnston as a “special rapporteur” in March 2023 to determine whether an inquiry was needed.In May of that year, Johnston said that a public inquiry was not necessary, citing the sensitive nature of the intelligence involved, and recommended other avenues to respond to interference. Johnston resigned under pressure from opposition parties a few weeks later, citing the “highly partisan atmosphere” around his appointment and work.
The Liberal government decided to hold a public inquiry soon after, and the main parties in the House of Commons negotiated its terms of reference and the choice of commissioner over the summer. Quebec Court of Appeal Justice Marie-Josée Hogue was appointed as commissioner to lead the inquiry in September 2023.
The commission’s interim report was published in May 2024. Following the report, the Liberal government introduced legislation that would establish a foreign influence transparency registry and increase criminal penalties for foreign meddling. Bill C-70, the Countering Foreign Interference Act, received support from all parties in the House of Commons and quickly received royal assent in June.
