Commission on Foreign Interference Justice Marie-Josée Hogue on Monday said she is restricted by the Inquiries Act from unmasking foreign spies on Parliament Hill. The commission must not “jeopardize any other investigation,” said Hogue, per Blacklock’s Reporter.“It is not this commission’s function to attempt to identify individuals as alleged wrongdoers,” said Hogue. “The Inquiries Act expressly prohibits the Commission from making an adverse finding against a person, in other words a conclusion that would discredit that person or tarnish their reputation, unless that person has been given notice and allowed full opportunity to be heard with respect to the charge of misconduct against them.”“I am aware of the political climate which we will be working in the next weeks or months which is more volatile than ever. But I would like to assure you we will continue our work independently. We will be objective and impartial as we have done from the beginning.”The judge was earlier given a copy of a June 3 Special Report by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians that named “a few parliamentarians” in the pay of foreign embassies. Suspects include legislators who spied on colleagues, acted at the “direction of foreign officials” and leaked to a foreign agent “information learned in confidence from the government.”“I will not be publicly identifying parliamentarians the report suspects of having participated in foreign interference activities or of having acted wittingly or unwittingly as agents of foreign states,” said Hogue. “Canada is a state governed by the rule of law which recognizes and protects the fundamental rights of every individual including the right to fully defend oneself against charges and accusations.”“In the present case the allegations are based on classified information which means the commission can neither make them public nor even disclose them to the people who might be the subject of these allegations." “The commission will therefore be incapable of affording these people a meaningful opportunity of defending themselves. That said, the commission intends to address these allegations in the classified version of its final report and make recommendations.”Cabinet has refused to identify Parliament Hill spies. “I don’t think it would be appropriate,” Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc testified June 20 at the House Affairs Committee.MPs noted the Security Of Information Act permits disclosure of state secrets “in the public interest” including alleged wrongdoing by a public office holder.“Let’s face it, I think if there were six Conservatives on that list and no other Liberals we would have the names,” Conservative MP Frank Caputo told the committee.“Let’s be honest here.”“The minister can disclose classified information when it is in the public interest. What could be more in the public interest?”
