What the Foreign Interference Inquiry Recommendations Could Mean for Electoral Changes

Justice Marie-Josee Hogue, commissioner of the Foreign Interference Commission, speaks after releasing the inquiry's Final Report, in Ottawa, on Jan. 28, 2025. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

The Foreign Interference Commission issued dozens of recommendations to better protect Canada against meddling, including some requiring the passing of new laws.

The commission’s seven-volume report, published on Jan. 28, includes 51 recommendations, some of which Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue said can and should be implemented before the next election to bolster transparency and fairness in political processes.

Parliament is currently prorogued until March 24, as the governing Liberal Party picks a new leader, and a spring election could take place if the new prime minister calls one or opposition parties bring down the government.

One key Hogue recommendation calls for stricter eligibility requirements in political party nomination and leadership contests, urging changes such that parties adopt the chief electoral officer’s suggestion that only Canadian citizens and permanent residents be allowed to vote. To enforce this, parties would need to obtain declarations from members verifying their status and maintain detailed records for at least seven years, ensuring that only eligible individuals participate.

The Liberal Party tightened its membership rules earlier this month, ahead of its leadership race, allowing only Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and those with status under the Indian Act to register as members. This aligns with other major parties in barring foreign nationals. Before Jan. 9, anyone who “ordinarily” resided in Canada and was 14 or older could become a registered Liberal, free of charge.

The Hogue report further called for increased transparency in political party operations, saying that parties and electoral district associations should file their rules for nomination and leadership contests with Elections Canada and notify the agency before these contests begin.

The commission had examined the events surrounding the 2019 Liberal nomination contest in the Don Valley North riding of Toronto. A summary of government intelligence entered as evidence at the inquiry said “irregularities” in the nomination “may have included activities undertaken by individuals close to PRC [People’s Republic of China] Officials.”

Party Financing

The Hogue commission also made recommendations around the financing of political parties.

Hogue urges legislative changes to prevent foreign entities from influencing political activities through funding. Specifically, the Canada Elections Act should require third parties—except individuals—that want to use their own money for political activities to submit audited financial reports to Elections Canada, the commission said.

The report also said that third parties who are not individuals should only use funds from Canadian citizens and permanent residents to support or oppose political parties and candidates. Additionally, the Hogue report said foreign entities should be prohibited from giving money to third parties for political activities.

Hogue noted that some recommendations on third-party financing were reflected in Bill C-65, the Electoral Participation Act, which died on the Order Paper on Jan. 6, 2025, when the governor general prorogued Parliament on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s request. She also highlighted that the bill’s proposed measures to address the intelligence-to-evidence challenge in investigating and prosecuting foreign interference offences would have been beneficial.

Hogue also recommended that the government consider establishing a public funding system for political parties, citing concerns that the 2015 elimination of the “per-vote subsidy”—which provided stable annual funding based on vote counts—may have “made party financing more precarious.”

The Hogue report also recommends increasing penalties for violations of the Canada Elections Act regarding foreign interference, by raising maximum administrative fines and penalties.

Beyond electoral reforms, the commissioner recommended that leaders of all political parties in the House of Commons be encouraged to obtain top secret security clearances upon taking office. The report also calls for each party to have at least two security-cleared individuals to liaise with government agencies. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is the only leader remaining without a clearance to receive classified documents about parliamentarians who may have had concerning dealings with foreign actors. He has said if he gets clearance for those documents, it would in effect silence him on this issue and he won’t be able to speak out against the Liberal government on it.

Public Safety Minister David McGuinty reacted to the commission’s report by saying his government will “carefully” review its findings and recommendations “and they must guide the government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen Canada’s defenses against foreign interference.”