A new parliamentary report paints a stark picture of foreign interference in Canadian politics, characterizing the government’s response as a ‘serious failure’ that could impact the country for years to come.
A new parliamentary report paints a stark picture of foreign interference in Canadian politics, characterizing the government’s response as a ‘serious failure’ that could impact the country for years to come.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, which is made up of MPs and senators from across the political spectrum, was asked last year to investigate allegations of foreign interference in Canadian elections.
The report said China believes it has a quid pro quo relationship with some MPs who will engage with the Chinese Communist Party in exchange for Beijing mobilizing its vast networks in their favour.
NSICOP said some of the cases of foreign interference they examined might have involved illegal activity but are unlikely to end in criminal charges “owing to Canada’s failure to address the long-standing issue of protecting classified information and methods in judicial processes.”
“The implications of this inaction include the undermining of the democratic rights and fundamental freedoms of Canadians, the integrity and credibility of Canada’s parliamentary process, and public trust in the policy decisions made by the government.”
“Gaps in these areas limited the ability of security and intelligence organizations to act, particularly with respect to sharing information with law enforcement bodies to enable investigations, lay charges or support prosecutions,” says the report.
The committee was set up in 2017 to provide parliamentary oversight on Ottawa’s intelligence operations, including at CSIS, the RCMP, Global Affairs Canada and the Communications Security Establishment (CSE).
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