Liberal Government Failed To Protect Our Democracy From Foreign Interference
Ottawa, ON – The release of Commissioner Hogue’s final report on foreign interference confirms many of the serious concerns that Conservatives have raised over the past two years surrounding foreign interference in our democracy.
The Commissioner concludes that “foreign states are trying to interfere in our democratic institutions, including electoral processes.” She further confirms that foreign interference “may have had some impact on the outcome of a [Liberal] nomination contest or the result of an election in a given riding.” As the Commission has previously noted, this includes the allegations of Beijing’s interference in the 2019 Liberal nomination race in Don Valley North and efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to defeat former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu in the riding of Steveston–Richmond East during the 2021 general election. She also confirms that in the 2021 general election, the Conservative Party was the target of foreign disinformation that likely originated from Beijing.
All this evidence amounts to proof that the Liberal government failed to protect our democracy from foreign meddling in the 2019 and 2021 general elections. It also leaves Canadians with concerns that the government failed to inform the public or take appropriate action to stop this interference because it was in the political interest of the Liberal Party. Commissioner Hogue highlights that the government’s response has “been far from perfect,” that the government has “taken too long to act” and that the government has been “insufficiently transparent when it comes to foreign interference.”
The Commissioner also highlights the suspicious circumstances surrounding a CSIS surveillance warrant, reportedly for key Liberal power broker and former Ontario cabinet minister, Michael Chan. She says that “everyone involved dropped the ball,” including Minister Blair and his former Chief of Staff Zita Astravas. While the Commissioner says she is not able to explain the “highly unusual delay,” the lack of any information otherwise heightens concerns that there was political interference to protect the interests of the Liberal Party.
While all this information is concerning and leaves many questions about the government’s failures, it is relieving to see the Commissioner’s conclusion that there “is no evidence of ‘traitors’ in Parliament plotting with foreign states to act against Canada.”
Conservatives thank Commissioner Hogue for her diligent work to help protect Canada’s democracy and will carefully study her recommendations and proposals on what can be done to protect our elections from foreign interference and hostile foreign states targeting Canada.