Forget the alleged spies arrested at Hydro-Québec and the Canadian Space Agency, the theft of knowledge from universities or the murder supposedly sponsored by India on Canadian soil: the Commission on Foreign Interference which begins on January 29 at Ottawa will deal exclusively with the last two federal elections.
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Judge Marie-Josée Hogue, who chairs the commission, inherited a mandate that several observers describe as too narrow.
“This consultation is too limited. The Chinese Communist Party is interfering in Canada through a multidimensional strategy, which includes elections, finance, academia and research, “police stations,” etc. All these dimensions are interdependent, but this commission focuses on only one dimension,” laments Benjamin Fung, professor of cybersecurity at McGill University and co-spokesperson for Action Free Hong Kong Montreal.
“Even for the elections, the Commission will not examine all levels, but will limit itself to the federal level,” he criticizes.
Benjamin Fung, cybersecurity professor at McGill University and co-spokesperson for Action Free Hong Kong Montreal
Photo Pierre Paul-Poulin
“Foreign interference goes beyond election interference. Transnational repression, the spread of disinformation and the efforts of foreign governments to influence our political discourse should also be taken into account,” also denounces Kaveh Shahrooz, of the Iranian Justice Collective.
Already controversial
Added to this are several criticisms of the very organization of the commission. Activists and members of the Chinese diaspora deplored Judge Hogue’s decision to give the opportunity to intervene and even in certain cases to question witnesses to individuals suspected of being linked to the Chinese Communist Party, such as the deputy independent Han Dong or Senator Yuen Pau Woo.
“My big concern is that we gave the opportunity to act in this commission to people who have been accused of foreign interference. This is worrying for people in the diaspora who were hoping to have the opportunity to talk about their experience safely. Some simply no longer want to participate in the commission,” underlines professor at the University of Ottawa and member of the China Strategic Risks Institute, Margaret McCuaig-Johnston.
“How could this be allowed? This is possibly attributable to Judge Hogue’s lack of experience in matters of national security and her poor knowledge of China,” also underlines Ms.me McCuaig-Johnston.
Here’s what to expect at the hearings of this public inquiry into foreign interference
Why will this commission take place?
For months, a public inquiry into foreign interference has been loudly called for in Ottawa following several media revelations on China’s attempts at interference during the last elections, in particular via disinformation campaigns targeting conservative candidates, including Michael Chong. Under pressure, the Trudeau government appointed former Governor General David Johnston as “independent special rapporteur” last year. The latter resigned amid controversy in June after ruling out the idea of a public inquiry. The government finally gave in to popular pressure and, after months of research, appointed Judge Marie-Josée Hogue to head the commission.
Conservative MP Michael Chong
Archive photo, QMI Agency
When?
Preliminary hearings, aimed at organizing the commission’s work, begin on January 29 and are expected to last five days. Public hearings will then be held this winter and next fall. Commissioner Hogue must submit a first report to the government on May 3. The final report is scheduled for January 31.
What will we talk about there?
The mandate is divided in two. It is limited, initially, to the study of interference activities that occurred during the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Then, the commission will examine the capacity of the government apparatus “to detect, prevent and counter such acts of interference”.
What new can we learn there?
It is difficult to determine at this stage what will be able to percolate from the commission’s work to the population. The preliminary hearings scheduled for the end of January are aimed precisely at assessing how it will be possible to make as many documents as possible public during the work, “even though a large part of this information will come from classified documents and sources.”
Will we only talk about China?
The mandate given to the commission by the government only explicitly mentions China and Russia, but acts of interference from other countries could also be addressed. The Commission also recently requested documents on India’s potential interference in federal elections.
Who will be there?
Around fifty organizations and people asked to be able to participate in this commission. The selected applications were separated into three categories which could intervene at different degrees and different times of the Commission. Former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole, the Conservative Party, the New Democratic Party as well as organizations such as Justice for all Canada and the Coalition for International Civil Liberties Monitoring will participate in the work.
-With the collaboration of Chrystian Viens