Two-Thirds of Canadians Want Public Inquiry Into Foreign Election Interference, Stricter Regulations: Poll

People line up to enter a polling station on election day of the 2019 federal election, in Ottawa on Oct. 21, 2019. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

Close to two-thirds of Canadians support a public inquiry into foreign interference in elections, and 58 percent of Canadians believe foreign governments have successfully influenced voting in the country, according to a new poll.

In the Research Co. survey, one-third of Canadians, or 33 percent, responded that it was “very likely” that China has attempted to influence elections in Canada this century, a number which rises to 37 percent among British Columbia residents, and to 45 percent in Canadians aged 55 and over.

Reports in recent weeks have cited national security sources and information to suggest the Chinese regime has attempted to influence the last two federal elections by supporting some Liberal candidates or working against other, allegedly Conservative, candidates.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has ruled out the possibility of calling a public inquiry into the allegations, saying Canada’s election processes “have not been compromised.” However, Trudeau announced on March 6 that his government would appoint an “eminent Canadian” as an “independent special rapporteur” on the issue of interference.

Research Co., an online polling firm, on March 6 released the results of its survey conducted from Feb. 26 to Feb. 28 among 1,000 adults. The survey is statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender, and region.

The poll asked, “All things considered, do you support or oppose calling an independent inquiry into foreign interference on electoral processes in Canada?”

The poll found that 64 percent of Canadians want an independent inquiry, with 21 percent opposed and 15 percent undecided. Among Canadians aged 55 and over, support for a public inquiry sits at 73 percent, while those aged 35 to 54 were 61 percent in favour. Even among a younger crowd, 59 percent of adults aged 18 to 34 wanted an independent inquiry.

When asked, from what they have seen, read, heard, or experienced, if foreign governments have successfully influenced federal elections in Canada in this century, 58 percent of Canadians believe this to be the case. Broken down by region, this was true for 63 percent of voting-age individuals in British Columbia, and 62 percent in Alberta.

“Almost half of Canadians (49%) think foreign governments have targeted federal nomination contests. Fewer believe this type of interference has occurred in provincial elections (42%), provincial nomination contests (35%), municipal elections (33%) or municipal nomination contests (29%),” said Research Co. in a news release.

One in five Canadians responded that they believe Russia (at 28 percent) and the United States (at 24 percent) are “very likely” to have attempted to influence elections in this century.

Fewer respondents feel the same way about other countries, with the United Kingdom suggested as a possible source of interference polled at 13 percent, France at 10 percent, and Germany at 9 percent.

Seventy-two percent said Canada should follow Australia, which “recently enacted a suite of laws designed to criminalize or comprehensively limit foreign interference efforts,” said the release.

“These laws criminalize covert and deceptive or threatening activities by persons intending to interfere with Australia’s democratic systems and processes, or to support the intelligence activities of a foreign government,” it said.

“Canadians of all political stripes believe the country should enact tougher laws to shield against foreign interference,” Mario Canseco, president of Research Co., said in a news release. “Sizeable majorities of Canadians who supported the Liberals (80%), the New Democrats (75%) and the Conservatives (73%) in the 2021 federal election are in agreement.”

Tara MacIsaac contributed to this report.