After months of deliberations, the federal government is launching a public inquiry into foreign election interference, and has found a judge to lead it.
Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc announced Tuesday that will serve as commissioner to lead the probe, which will look beyond China to include other foreign meddling.
âJustice Hogue will be tasked with examining and assessing interference by China, Russia, and other foreign states and non-state actors, including any potential impacts to confirm the integrity of, and impacts on, the 2019 and 2021 general elections at the national and the electoral district levels,â LeBlanc said.
LeBlanc said Hogue will have âfull accessâ to all relevant cabinet documents, as well as any other documents she deems necessary, with the goal of tabling an interim report by Feb. 29, 2024, a few days shy of six months from now.
Hogueâs final report is due by the end of next year.
âIn addition to examining and assessing interference by China, Russia and other foreign state and non-state actors, Justice Hogue will also look at the flow of information to senior decision makers, including elected officials,â LeBlanc said.
In a statement, Hogue said she is âhonouredâ to take on the role of commissioner, and that she will provide next steps on the inquiry âin due course.â
This development comes after several months of opposition parties and some national security stakeholders , amid heightened attention on alleged attempts by China to meddle in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.
When asked why the commissionâs scope has been expanded to include actors other than China, LeBlanc said âChina is not the only foreign actor that seeks to undermine democratic institutions in Canada or other Western democraciesâ and âthis challenge is not unique to Canada.â
He added the goal is for Hogue to âhave the ability to follow the evidence,â possibly beyond China.
The spring âciting the inability to satisfy the concerns of Canadians due to the national security limitations on making key details publicâdrew swift criticism.
LeBlanc said it will be up to Hogue to determine which aspects of the inquiry are public versus in camera.
But, he said, all the political parties are in agreement that âthe commission begin by public hearings so that Canadians will understand why certain highly classified intelligence information has to be treated, by law, in a confidential manner.â
âThe commission has all of the powers in order to study that information in the appropriate way,â LeBlanc added. âShe will in her judgment, based on the legal advice the commission would receive from the commission lawyers that she will select in her independent way, decide how and what hearings will be made public. The government is dictating none of that.â
Despite the classified nature of the issue, Hogue does not have national security experience, but LeBlanc said she is âa senior judge of one of Canadaâs most senior courtsâ and all the opposition parties agree with her appointment.
âWe believe Justice Hogue has all of the necessary experience, credentials and judgment to lead this important work,â he said. âThat view was shared by some of the countryâs most senior jurists with whom weâve spoken. Some of them have suggested there is value also in finding a senior credible Justice who comes to this issue with a fresh set of eyes, without a series of detailed experiences in this very space.â
OPPOSITION PARTIES AGREE WITH APPOINTMENT
On the heels of Johnstonâs resignation in May, the Liberals showed new openness to a public process and LeBlanc began engaging in negotiations with the other parties on a suitable structure and official to lead the inquiry.
Last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted that his government would move forward with a ârobust inquiry into foreign interference of all different typesâ despite reported issues locking in someone to lead it.
Throughout these deliberations the Liberals have said they wouldnât be proceeding with an inquiry , an effort to strip out as much of the politics as possible after the governmentâs first attempt crumbled under partisan scrutiny.
LeBlanc called the extent of consultation and negotiation processes with opposition parties âunprecedented.â
âOur work together sends a clear signal to Canadians that democratic institutions are strong and are resilient,â LeBlanc said.
âWe think we have arrived, with the full support of the opposition, at the best person to lead this inquiry,â he also said. âJustice Hogue came to us highly recommended by other jurists, obviously her chief justice, the chief justice of Quebec, was very supportive, so we look forward to this work commencing as quickly as she can get the commission up and running.â
In a statement released Thursday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said his party âforcedâ the government to call a public inquiry, and accused the Liberals of trying to âhide and cover up the truth.â
âBut today, our demand for a public inquiry into this interference has finally been met,â Poilievre wrote.
Poilievre wrote that China has been âtrying to undermine Canadian democracy for years,â and accused Trudeau of refusing âto take any meaningful action.â
âProtecting our democracy must be our first priority, and Conservatives will always stand up for Canada,â Poilievre also wrote.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also took credit for âforcingâ the Liberals to call an inquiry, telling reporters Thursday his party has been leading the charge on a formal probe since last February, and saying âitâs turned out for the good.â
âWe want to make sure that people have trust in our democratic institutions,â Singh said. âAnd that's why we've always believed that a public inquiry was the right way to go.â
âSo I want folks to know that we will continue to work as hard as we can to deliver for Canadians, while the Liberals continue to deny there's a problem and disappoint you, while the Conservatives continue to blame and complain,â he added.
Bloc Quebecois House Leader Alain Terrien told reporters Thursday that Hogueâs appointment is âgood news for democracyâ and said she is both âcompetentâ and ârigorous.â
In a statement, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said his party has worked âconstructively and in good faithâ throughout the negotiations, and heâs satisfied with the outcome.
As parties have , a for allegedly helping China identify and intimidate an individual, and a Canadian monitoring system has targeting Conservative MP Michael Chong.
According to the Quebec Court of Appeal website, Hogue was appointed to her current position in 2015. She studied law at lâUniversité de Sherbrooke and was admitted to the Bar of Quebec in 1987.
Before becoming a judge, her primary areas of practice were corporate commercial litigation, civil litigation, and professional liability, the Quebec Court of Appeal website states.
Speaking in Singapore Thursday, Trudeau said Canada and Chinaâs relationship remains strained as a result of
Asked about whether news will soon be coming on a foreign agent registry the government has also been consulting on, the prime minister indicated that was a more âcomplexâ file.