(OTTAWA) NDP House Leader Peter Julian says Canadians can expect a public inquiry into foreign interference.
Opposition parties wanted the government to announce the inquiry before the House of Commons adjourned for the summer recess, but the session adjourned on Wednesday evening without any agreement.
For two weeks, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Dominic LeBlanc, has been leading intense discussions to find a consensus between the parties for an investigation.
Inquiry negotiations continued Thursday, as Mr. LeBlanc met again with House leaders.
MPs will not return to their seats until September 18.
I am convinced, as we have these discussions about what form this public inquiry would take, that we will get there. We can be optimistic that this public inquiry will be in place after some further discussion.
Peter Julian, NDP House Leader
He would not say what the sticking points were in the talks or when he thought things could be resolved. He added that he believes the NDP helped bring this about.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet said Wednesday he believes a deal could be days or even hours away. Government House Leader Mark Holland says things could be decided “very soon”.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre insists he will not provide information on a possible commissioner or a mandate until the government commits to an investigation.
The government has been adamant that it will not agree to a public inquiry without opposition parties reaching consensus on the details.
He wants to avoid the heavy criticism that followed his decision to appoint former Governor General David Johnston as special rapporteur to investigate the matter.
Opposition parties were furious when Mr Johnston made a recommendation against an inquiry last month. The Conservatives and the Bloc have criticized the Liberals for appointing Mr. Johnston, who they say had too many ties to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to be impartial.
Mr Johnston then announced he would step down after issuing a final report in late June. And that’s when Minister LeBlanc was tasked by Justin Trudeau to work with opposition parties on the way forward.
The details of who will lead an investigation, what it will examine and its timeline are all part of ongoing negotiations.
Mr. Julian pointed out that the opposition parties supported two NDP motions in favor of a public inquiry. The most recent, on May 31, called on the House procedure committee — which MPs call PROC for short — to choose a commissioner and recommend terms of reference for the inquiry.
“I am optimistic that the PROC will not need to do this if we reach an agreement,” he mentioned Mr. Julian.
The motion also called for the inquiry to examine attempts at foreign interference by several countries, including China, Russia and Iran.
The Liberals struggled in the final days of this parliamentary session to highlight their achievements despite the chaos that unfolded as the government struggled to deal with allegations that Beijing tried to interfere in the last two federal elections. .
All parties have agreed that the election outcome was unaffected by these attempts, but believe a public inquiry is needed to ensure Canada is prepared to resist future attempts.
Mr Holland said on Wednesday the government had passed 15 bills in 15 weeks, including one that enshrines the national child care plan into law.