Canada slow to respond to foreign interference: inquiry

Canada slow to respond to foreign interference: inquiry
by AFP Staff Writers
Ottawa (AFP) Jan 28, 2025

The Canadian government's response to foreign interference -- notably by China -- was at times slow and poorly coordinated, a public commission concluded on Tuesday.

Ottawa "took too long to act, and coordination was not always optimal" to counter threats, commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue told a news conference.

But overall Canada's "democratic institutions have remained robust in the face of attempted foreign interference," she said.

The commission spent 16 months investigating allegations of meddling by China and others, which had put Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government on the back foot and strained foreign relations.

An interim report in May 2024 found that foreign interference had occurred in Canada's elections of 2019 and 2021 that returned Trudeau's Liberals to power, but it did not impact the outcome.

Hogue said Tuesday she uncovered a few instances of foreign attempts to boost certain candidacies in those elections, as well as moves to "curry favor or develop problematic relationships" with lawmakers.

But, she added, those were "largely ineffective." And she did not find evidence of any "so-called traitors in Parliament" or "MPs plotting with foreign states against Canada's interest."

China -- deemed to be the main meddler in Canadian affairs -- has rejected the accusations. India, Russia, Pakistan and Iran were also accused of foreign interference.

The release of Hogue's seven-volume final report comes just months before Canadians could return to polls.

In the report, she also highlights that growing disinformation, which is hard to detect and even harder to counter, poses a major risk to Canada's democracy.

"The greatest threat, one that I believe threatens the very existence of our democracy, is disinformation," she told reporters.

"This threat is all the more nefarious because the means available to counter it are limited and very difficult to implement," she added.

Hogue noted an increasing use of sophisticated technological means by malicious actors to spread disinformation, particularly on social media.

"Distinguishing what is true from what is false is becoming increasingly difficult," she said.

According to the report, it has the ability to distort public discourse, change views, and shape society.