The Foreign Interference Commission (FIC) has published the Initial Report, which focuses on foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian elections. FIC Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue found the Canadian electoral system is robust, despite foreign interference. “Acts of foreign interference did occur during the last two federal general elections, but they did not undermine the integrity of our electoral system,” said Hogue in a Friday press release.“Our system remains sound.”Hogue said foreign interference did not have any impact on which party formed government in the two most recent elections. Nonetheless, she called the acts that occurred “a stain on our electoral process and impacted the process leading up to the actual vote.”The FIC has reviewed thousands of documents to date — many of them are classified by the Canadian government on national security grounds. “The Commission had access to the documents it deemed relevant, without any redactions for national security reasons,” said Hogue. “I can therefore say that our team was able to conduct our investigative work without limitation on access to classified information.” The FIC said it faced an immense challenge in balancing the protection of Canada's national security interests with the transparency of its work. However, it has released a substantial amount of information and documents, enabling the public to gain a better understanding of what happened during the last two elections.With the Initial Report, it said it addresses how information about foreign interference concerns circulated within the Canadian government apparatus and the actions that were taken in response. She said she had “not found evidence of any actions taken in bad faith, but I have found that there were some communication problems and a certain lack of understanding of the role that every one plays, or should play, in combatting foreign interference.” The findings in the Initial Report are preliminary. Stage Two of the FIC’s work will include an examination and assessment of the capacity of relevant Canadian government departments, agencies, institutional structures, and governance processes to permit it to detect, deter and counter any form of foreign interference affecting democratic processes. During Stage Two, it will focus on the experiences of diaspora community members. Canadians will have the opportunity to share their experiences with and views on foreign interference through its public outreach program, with the details to be announced soon. This stage of the investigation will culminate in public hearings to be held in the fall. The FIC will hear from various experts who will advise it on means of better protecting federal democratic processes from foreign interference during the Policy Phase of its work in the fall. The Final Report, which must be submitted to the Canadian government by December 31, will include recommendations about how to protect Canada’s elections and democratic institutions from foreign interference.Since the FIC will begin Stage Two of its work soon, Hogue said it “is possible that this Stage will shed further light, or even a different light, on some of the events investigated and reported in the first Stage.”“That said, I do not think it likely that the main conclusions in this report will change,” she said. The House of Commons Affairs Committee (CAC) decided in November not to investigate the Liberals’ records about Independent MP Han Dong (Don Valley North, ON).READ MORE: Liberal MPs drop Chinese foreign interference investigation into Han DongAfter admitting to having several contacts with Chinese officials, Dong quit the Liberal caucus.Conservative MP Michael Cooper (St. Albert-Edmonton, AB) proposed the CAC demand the Prime Minister's Office and the Liberals give up all documents related to Dong's nomination in 2019. However, the Liberal MPs disagreed with this proposal.
The Foreign Interference Commission (FIC) has published the Initial Report, which focuses on foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian elections. FIC Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue found the Canadian electoral system is robust, despite foreign interference. “Acts of foreign interference did occur during the last two federal general elections, but they did not undermine the integrity of our electoral system,” said Hogue in a Friday press release.“Our system remains sound.”Hogue said foreign interference did not have any impact on which party formed government in the two most recent elections. Nonetheless, she called the acts that occurred “a stain on our electoral process and impacted the process leading up to the actual vote.”The FIC has reviewed thousands of documents to date — many of them are classified by the Canadian government on national security grounds. “The Commission had access to the documents it deemed relevant, without any redactions for national security reasons,” said Hogue. “I can therefore say that our team was able to conduct our investigative work without limitation on access to classified information.” The FIC said it faced an immense challenge in balancing the protection of Canada's national security interests with the transparency of its work. However, it has released a substantial amount of information and documents, enabling the public to gain a better understanding of what happened during the last two elections.With the Initial Report, it said it addresses how information about foreign interference concerns circulated within the Canadian government apparatus and the actions that were taken in response. She said she had “not found evidence of any actions taken in bad faith, but I have found that there were some communication problems and a certain lack of understanding of the role that every one plays, or should play, in combatting foreign interference.” The findings in the Initial Report are preliminary. Stage Two of the FIC’s work will include an examination and assessment of the capacity of relevant Canadian government departments, agencies, institutional structures, and governance processes to permit it to detect, deter and counter any form of foreign interference affecting democratic processes. During Stage Two, it will focus on the experiences of diaspora community members. Canadians will have the opportunity to share their experiences with and views on foreign interference through its public outreach program, with the details to be announced soon. This stage of the investigation will culminate in public hearings to be held in the fall. The FIC will hear from various experts who will advise it on means of better protecting federal democratic processes from foreign interference during the Policy Phase of its work in the fall. The Final Report, which must be submitted to the Canadian government by December 31, will include recommendations about how to protect Canada’s elections and democratic institutions from foreign interference.Since the FIC will begin Stage Two of its work soon, Hogue said it “is possible that this Stage will shed further light, or even a different light, on some of the events investigated and reported in the first Stage.”“That said, I do not think it likely that the main conclusions in this report will change,” she said. The House of Commons Affairs Committee (CAC) decided in November not to investigate the Liberals’ records about Independent MP Han Dong (Don Valley North, ON).READ MORE: Liberal MPs drop Chinese foreign interference investigation into Han DongAfter admitting to having several contacts with Chinese officials, Dong quit the Liberal caucus.Conservative MP Michael Cooper (St. Albert-Edmonton, AB) proposed the CAC demand the Prime Minister's Office and the Liberals give up all documents related to Dong's nomination in 2019. However, the Liberal MPs disagreed with this proposal.
