PM, senior security officials slated to return to foreign interference inquiry

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his inner circle are slated to return to a federal inquiry into foreign interference in coming weeks.

A newly published provisional witness list for the next phase of the inquiry’s public work indicates senior government bureaucrats and members of national security agencies will also testify.

Trudeau and key government officials took part in the commission’s initial hearings earlier this year on allegations of foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue’s interim report, released in May, said foreign meddling by China did not affect the overall results of the two general elections.

The report said while outcomes in a small number of ridings may have been affected by interference, this cannot be said with certainty.

In the second part of the commission’s factual phase, public hearings set to begin Monday will focus on the capacity of federal agencies to detect, deter and counter foreign meddling.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press