Trudeau Accuses Tories of Blocking Cross-Party Consensus on Foreign Interference Inquiry

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 2, 2023. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing the federal Conservative Party of blocking cross-party consensus on establishing a process for a potential public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada’s elections.

Mr. Trudeau told reporters in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., on July 5 that the government and opposition parties need to reach an agreement on both the structure of a potential inquiry and its leader before Ottawa can move forward on the matter, but said the Conservatives are refusing to “participate” in the process.

“We need to make sure that all parties agree on the framework, on the kind of process to be put in place, and on the person who will be heading it,” Mr. Trudeau said.

“We will not be able to move forward with any seriousness if the Conservative Party once again refuses to participate in or accept the process we put forward.”

Mr. Trudeau also told reporters that the Conservatives “attacked” former governor general David Johnston during his time as special rapporteur on foreign election interference from March to early June.

Mr. Johnston announced on June 9 that he would be stepping down from the role because of what he called a “highly partisan atmosphere” around his appointment.

Following his resignation, the government said it was open to the prospect of a public inquiry into foreign interference but did not guarantee that it would call one.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc has been holding consultations with all opposition party leaders since early June to determine “what the next steps should look like and determine who best may be suited to lead this public work.”

Tories’ Response

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre responded to Mr. Trudeau’s July 5 comments in a statement a day later, saying that the prime minister “is lying when he accuses Conservatives of blocking consensus on a public inquiry into Beijing’s interference.”

“He has the authority to call a public inquiry anytime he wants, so it is legally impossible for Conservatives to block it,” Mr. Poilievre said in the statement on July 6, adding that the Tories have been talking with “all political parties” about establishing a public inquiry since early June.

“We have names, terms, and timeframes that we are happy to share,” Mr. Poilievre said.

The Tory leader added that opposition leaders discussed the latest proposal for a potential inquiry’s terms of reference on June 30 and met again earlier this week to finalize the wording.

He added that the Conservatives “have been asking every day this week to meet to confirm an agreement,” but said neither Mr. LeBlanc nor his office has “picked up the phone or answered an email in five days.”

“They also have not provided the final text that was discussed,” Mr. Poilievre said.

Omid Ghoreishi contributed to this report.