Election Meddling Testimony Expected When Foreign Interference Hearings Return March 27

Election Meddling Testimony Expected When Foreign Interference Hearings Return March 27
Commissioner Justice Marie-Josée Hogue listens to a lawyer speak at the Public Inquiry Into Foreign Interference in Federal Election Processes and Democratic Institutions in Ottawa on Feb. 2, 2024. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld
Andrew Chen
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A fresh round of public hearings in the public inquiry on foreign interference in Canada’s federal elections will begin on March 27, focusing on key evidence related to alleged foreign meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

“These hearings will address issues at the core of our mandate,” Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue said in a press release on March 11. “The Commission will hear evidence on the question of interference by foreign states or non-state actors in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, including any potential impact on those elections.”

The commission will scrutinize how information was shared among key decision-makers, such as elected officials, and between the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force and the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol panel during the 2019 and 2021 elections.

The upcoming “Stage 1” public hearings, slated to run until April 10, will feature a list of witnesses set to appear in March and April. The list of witnesses will be disclosed at a later time. The hearing is set to take place at the Library and Archives Canada building in Ottawa.

Meanwhile, a “Stage 2” of the public inquiry is slated to take place in the fall, focusing on the federal government’s capacity to detect and counteract foreign interference targeting Canada’s democratic and electoral processes, the commission said.

Criticisms

The federal government initiated the foreign interference commission last September, responding to media reports of interference by the Chinese regime in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. The commission concluded a five-day preliminary round of hearings from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2.

The commission has faced widespread criticism, with at least two human rights and diaspora organizations boycotting the public inquiry over Justice Hogue’s decision to include former Liberal MP Han Dong, Sen. Yuan Pau Woo, and Markham, Ont., deputy mayor Michael Chan.

On Jan. 31, the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project announced its withdrawal from the public inquiry, voicing “disappointment” with the commissioner for granting Mr. Dong and Mr. Chan “full standing” status and “intervener” status to Mr. Woo. The group noted that these statuses provide access to highly confidential information, potentially jeopardizing communities and allowing them to cross-examine witnesses.
Subsequently, the Canadian Friends of Hong Kong issued a social media statement on Feb. 20, saying that it “has not and will not participate” in the inquiry and expressed “grave concerns regarding the objectivity and the security integrity” of the inquiry.
In response, Ms. Hogue issued a statement on Feb. 22, addressing security concerns of individuals fearing potential reprisals for their contributions to the investigation.