(Ottawa) The Liberal government says measures to monitor and assess threats of foreign interference will be part of all future federal by-elections, not just general elections.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the Election Security and Intelligence Threat Task Force will monitor for any signs of interference in the two byelections announced for Sept. 16 – one in LaSalle–Émard–Verdun in Montreal and the other in Manitoba.
The task force, created in 2019 to protect the federal electoral process, includes representatives from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Global Affairs Canada and the Communications Security Establishment – Canada’s cyber spy agency.
The working group already has some experience in monitoring by-elections, held this year and in 2023.
Mr. LeBlanc says the task force will provide intelligence assessments to a committee of deputy ministers. That committee, in turn, will brief and advise ministers responsible for combating foreign interference and protecting democratic institutions.