Foreign Interference Inquiry by John Robson Falls Short in Rebuilding Canadians’ Confidence

February 4, 2025 TruthUSA

Commentary

The crisis of trust across Western societies has to be familiar by now. Faith in established institutions from government to mainstream media has plummeted, fuelling a populist surge. So regardless of your opinion on its justification, it is important to take it seriously, right? This brings me to the Hogue inquiry…and moving forward.

The Foreign Interference Commission, also known as its formal name, “has completed its work and will no longer be responding to inquiries.” This is unfortunate as I have several specific questions, one being, “Who were they, and what did they do?” which was the main focus of this inquiry into the past scandal that took place several years ago.

Foreign interference in our elections and politics, particularly by the People’s Republic of China, has been a significant concern for many of us for a long time. This includes the concerning relationship between Canada’s elite and communist China, especially within one party. Although accusations of treason have a tainted history, it became evident in late 2022 that something important was unfolding that Canadian citizens needed to be informed about.

In 2023, CSIS and in 2024 NSICOP, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, discovered that China had systematically attempted to influence our elections. While these efforts were largely ineffective, NSICOP’s 2024 report contained a crucial warning: “Unfortunately, the Committee has also seen troubling intelligence that some Parliamentarians are, in the words of the intelligence services, ‘semi-witting or witting’ participants in the efforts of foreign states to interfere in our politics.”

None dare call it treason. However, despite the lack of respect for parliamentarians nowadays, they are the only individuals within the vast state apparatus that we, the citizens, elect. And it appears that not all of them are on our side.

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stellar Establishment career, as Parliament voted he should step down, not least for opposing a real public inquiry.

Weirdly, Johnston’s terms of reference included “raise any outstanding questions of public interest or answers that are needed to ensure public confidence” on recent election interference. Of which the top two, surely, were “Who were those parliamentarians?” and “What did they do?” Instead, we got the Canadian Jedi mind trick: You voters don’t need to see that information.

Its government page praises Johnston’s report for “recommendations on protecting and enhancing Canadians’ faith in our democracy.” But burying a scandal doesn’t count.

So the PM had to call the Hogue Commission inquiry anyway. Which after nearly 18 months said at enormous length nothing to see here folks. Elections were interfered with, mistakes were made, influence was had. But it’s all better now and no, you can’t know who they were or what they did.

To help journalists write stories anyway, the Commission put out a “Fact Sheet.” But it lists stuff like “Number of Participants granted standing: 27” and “Number of media accredited to cover hearings: 256,” not Joe Friday whodunnit facts. Or even “Number of pages in the final report” released in trite chunks but not one single PDF, an amateurish performance made worse by file names like “report_volume_1.”

That alleged “Report Summary” is 123 pages long, not exactly rushing to the point. A summary is a page or two saying “Here’s who they were and what they did.” Instead, the report’s meandering “Word from the Commissioner” includes: “The measures implemented over the past two years, along with several statements made on the matter, suggest that the government is now prioritizing the fight against foreign interference. This must continue.”

We can’t know how or why, of course. Or who they were or what they did. Instead, we should believe “several statements” by politicians about their own excellence.

Worse, Hogue blames us for impudently wanting more: “On the one hand, trust in Canada’s democratic institutions has been shaken, and it is imperative to restore it. This can only be achieved through greater transparency. On the other hand, while the government has the primary responsibility for ensuring national security and protecting our democratic institutions, what I have read and heard convinces me that society as a whole must help defend these institutions.”

Trussssst us, they say. And wonder why we don’t.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

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