Rights Group Pulls Out of Foreign Interference Inquiry, Cites Concern About Politicians With Alleged Links to China

Commissioner Justice Marie-Josée Hogue looks around the room as she listens to counsel at the Public Inquiry Into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions, in Ottawa, on Jan. 29, 2024. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

A human rights group has withdrawn from the public inquiry into foreign interference, two days after the inquiry’s opening day, in protest of Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue’s decision to allow politicians accused of links to the Chinese regime to question witnesses.

On Jan. 31, the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project (URAP) announced its decision to back out of the public inquiry aimed at investigating foreign interference in Canada’s 2019 and 2021 federal elections.