The suspicions of Chinese meddling in the country’s elections in 2019 and 2021 will be investigated by two agencies, according to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but a public investigation will not take place at this time. Law enforcement is currently looking into the information breach that resulted in media exposés about Beijing’s purported attempts to influence the elections in order to benefit the ruling Liberal Party.
Speaking to the media on Monday in Ottawa, Trudeau said that the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) and the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) will address the issue of foreign influence (NSIRA). Both of the inquiries won’t be made public. A release from the prime minister’s office said the NSICOP has been asked to “complete a review to assess the state of foreign interference in federal electoral processes”.
NSIRA is expected to look at “how Canada’s national security agencies handled the threat of foreign interference”.
Trudeau also announced that his government will appoint an Independent Special Rapporteur on election interference with a “wide mandate” including making “expert recommendations on combating interference”. That person “will make public recommendations, which could include a formal inquiry or some other independent review process, and the Government of Canada will abide by the recommendation”.
