Agence France-Presse is an international news agency headquartered in Paris, France.
Summary
· In recent weeks a series of reports in the Canadian media, based on intelligence leaks, have detailed alleged attempts by Beijing to interfere in those elections
Montreal. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday announced the
appointment of an independent special rapporteur to probe alleged Chinese
interference in Canada's last two federal elections.
In recent weeks a series of reports
in the Canadian media, based on intelligence leaks, have detailed alleged
attempts by Beijing to interfere in those elections.
That allegedly involved secret
financing or involvement in the campaign of certain candidates during voting in
2019 and 2021.
China has firmly denied the charges,
calling them "defamatory."
The new rapporteur, who will be
named in the coming days, will be responsible for making "expert
recommendations on combating interference and strengthening our democracy"
said Trudeau, adding that he had also appointed two committees to investigate
foreign interference.
This announcement came after
opposition parties had been calling for days for an independent public inquiry
into the issue. One of the first tasks of the special rapporteur will be to
advise the government on the next steps to take, including a possible public
inquiry.
Trudeau said his government would
abide by the rapporteur's recommendations, "which could include a formal
inquiry or some other independent review process."
The prime minister also instructed
members of the parliamentary committee on national security and intelligence to
launch a new, specialized investigation into foreign interference in Canada's
elections.
The committee had already presented
a report on the subject in 2019, calling on the government to do more.
Meanwhile, the body overseeing
Canada's intelligence services has been called upon to examine how Canada's
national security agencies have handled the threat of election interference.
"Any interference attempt by
any foreign actor is troubling and serious," said Trudeau, noting that
"Chinese government and other regimes like Iran and Russia have attempted
to interfere not just in our democracy, but in our country in general."
"This is not a new
problem," he added.
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