Advocacy Group Urges Police and Watchdogs to Release Public Findings on Foreign Collusion
An advocacy group is urging independent investigations by the police, ethics, and election watchdogs into allegations of foreign collusion involving Canadian parliamentarians. They emphasize the need for public rulings in each case to ensure transparency and accountability.
Some MPs, such as the Conservatives and NDP MP Jenny Kwan, have requested the government to disclose the names of politicians allegedly involved in foreign interference. Additionally, all parties supported a motion to refer the matter to the foreign interference commission that is investigating Chinese meddling in Canadian elections.
In a public announcement on June 17, the commission acknowledged the government’s decision and stated that no expansion of its mandate was necessary to investigate the allegations.
However, Democracy Watch expressed concerns that these actions do not guarantee impartial investigations or fairness. They emphasized that intelligence reports often contain rumors or questionable evidence and that public inquiries typically refrain from naming individuals solely based on rumors.
To address these issues, Democracy Watch is calling for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) to share intelligence with provincial or local police forces, the Commissioner of Canada Elections, and ethics and lobbying commissioners at local levels to carry out investigations into each allegation and issue public rulings accordingly.
The group specified that public rulings should include announcements of charges and prosecutions, acknowledgment of clear evidence of foreign interference with reasons for non-charging if necessary, or statements withholding names due to insufficient evidence of collusion with foreign entities.
Bypassing RCMP and Federal Watchdogs
Democracy Watch recommended that foreign interference investigations should be conducted by police forces other than the RCMP to ensure independence and effectiveness. They called for the establishment of a new national police force that is more transparent and independent to address foreign interference concerns.
Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, raised similar concerns about the federal Ethics Commissioner and Commissioner of Lobbying, highlighting their appointments by the Cabinet.
The Epoch Times reached out to the RCMP, federal ethics commission, and lobbying commission for comment but did not receive immediate responses.
Mr. Conacher emphasized the need to close loopholes in Canada’s election and ethics laws to prevent foreign interference in Canadian politics through social media misinformation.
