There's been much discussion as of late surrounding how Canada should tackle the threat of extremists crossing the border into our country, however with Justin Trudeau stepping down as leader of the Liberal Party, our enemies have an easier way to try and achieve their goals.
The Liberals elect their leader via a system in which every member has one vote, and under the party's current constitution, almost anyone can register as a member — one needn't even be a citizen of Canada. Plus, it's free!
According to the Liberals, to become a member one simply must be at least 14 years of age, support "the purposes" of the party, not be a member of any other federal party, and not publicly declare any intention to run as a candidate for the House of Commons other than for the party.
The party has decided to provide only the vaguest of residency requirements, with the official regulations stating that one must "ordinarily live in Canada." No further clarification is provided regarding what "ordinarily" means. Canadians living abroad, on the other hand, must be "qualified as an elector who may vote in accordance with part 11 of the Canada Elections Act."
To vote in the leadership race, one must have been a registered party member for at least 41 days, and "compl[y] with the registration procedures established by the National Board or by the Leadership Vote Committee."
There are identification requirements in place. Members can either provide one piece of government-issued ID, or two pieces of other ID, one of which must have their home address on it. Those who cannot provide any of those, however, can utilize a third option.
"If a voter does not have the ID listed in options 1 or 2," the Liberals' constitution states, "they can swear an oath and have another Registered Liberal vouch for them."
The voucher "must be a Registered Liberal, live in the same electoral district, and provide ID as outlined in options 1 and 2." They can vouch for one other person, or up to five immediate family members living in the same household.
Theoretically, that means if ten bad actors misused the third option, fifty others would be able to vote in the leadership election.
Among those sounding the alarm about the potential impacts of the Liberals' open-door membership policy is Ian Brodie, who served as former prime minister Stephen Harper's chief of staff from 2006-2008.
"A Liberal leadership race will be the easiest way for Hamas to flip the foreign policy of a G7 country," he warned. "Hamas and its global supporters are well aware of this opportunity."
It's not just Islamic extremists and antisemitic hate groups Canada should be worried about; anyone, from China, to Russia, or even Iran, could take advantage and try to influence the results.
Other parties have more stringent requirements. To be a member of the Conservatives, for example, one must be a citizen or permanent resident, and pay a fee. There is no third identification option; to vote members have to show one piece of government-issued ID, or two pieces of other ID, either of which must include their photo and address.
Following Trudeau's announcement on Monday, Liberal Party President Sachit Mehra said he had initiated the process to launch a leadership race, with a meeting of the National Board to be held later this week.