Commission on Foreign Interference | The Bloc Québécois urges the judge to extend the public hearings

(Ottawa) The Bloc Québécois urges Judge Marie-Josée Hogue to extend public hearings into the foreign interference activities of China, Russia and India during the 2019 and 2021 elections.

The recent testimonies of Justin Trudeau, his close collaborators and the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), David Vigneault, raise many questions that must be examined, argues the Bloc Québécois in a letter sent Thursday to Judge Marie -Josée Hogue.

In this letter, the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, and the Bloc Québécois MP René Villemure affirm that the Commission has clearly received the mandate to shed light on the interference activities which allegedly took place during the last two elections in order to “rebuild the bond of trust” of the population towards its institutions.

In light of the testimony heard last week, it is clear that the Commission must continue to explore certain aspects of the evidence that has been submitted. This option is all the more possible, according to the Bloc Québécois, as an electoral campaign is not imminent.

The Commission’s public hearings on interference activities by China and other states concluded last Friday. Judge Hogue is due to file her report on this aspect of her mandate on May 3.

“Today, it is clear that as the end of the work of the first stage approaches, the Commission is running out of time to fully carry out this aspect of its mandate. While we thought that the time allocated to the hearings would be sufficient, the observation is quite different: the testimonies raised questions and issues that we simply cannot leave in this state,” assert MM. Blanchet and Villemure in their letter.

“This is why, while the next electoral deadline does not seem imminent, we ask you, Madam Commissioner, to extend the hearings in order to allow the Commission to rehear witnesses, welcome new ones if necessary, and to formulate on this basis effective recommendations in order to sustainably protect democracy and institutions,” they add.

Witnesses should be re-interviewed

Mr. Blanchet and his colleague suggest that Judge Hogue invite a few witnesses again. MP Han Dong is expected to be re-examined to determine who in the Prime Minister’s Office warned him that CSIS was monitoring him over allegations of Chinese foreign interference.

Mr. Dong was elected under the Liberal banner in 2019 and 2021, but has served as an independent MP since March 2023 after Global News reported that he benefited from Chinese foreign interference in his bid to become the Liberal candidate of his constituency, during the 2019 elections.

The Bloc Québécois believes that Jeremy Broadhurst, a close collaborator of Justin Trudeau, must also testify again. The latter was director of the Liberal Party’s national campaign in 2019. He should explain in more detail why he recommended to the Prime Minister that no action be taken against Liberal Han Dong. According to the Bloc Québécois, it would also be relevant to know what skills he has to express himself on issues of national security and foreign interference.

The director of CSIS, David Vigneault, should be re-examined about his discussions with the Prime Minister and his cabinet regarding Chinese interference and the quality of CSIS’s work, according to the Bloc.

Yves-François Blanchet’s troops also believe that former Governor General David Johnston, who acted as special rapporteur on foreign interference at the request of the Prime Minister before resigning in Controversy. According to the Bloc, Mr. Johnston, who did not recommend holding a public inquiry into foreign interference, should be questioned about the content of his May 2023 report on this delicate issue.

“This commission was built on the arduous but essential mandate of rebuilding public confidence in democratic institutions and, beyond that, in the electoral process. While several testimonies heard in recent months suggest that if we were to stop there, the effect would be the opposite, […] it is essential to take the time to hear all the players involved in this issue,” assert MM. Blanchet and Villemure in their letter.

Michael Tansey, spokesperson for the Commission, confirmed having received this letter and that “the Commission will respond to the request of the Bloc Québécois in due course”.