Special Intelligence Task Force Established to Monitor By-elections for Foreign Interference

July 29, 2024 TruthUSA

The Liberal government has announced that future federal byelections will also be monitored for foreign interference threats, not just general elections.

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc stated that the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force will be vigilant for any signs of meddling in the upcoming September byelections in Quebec and Manitoba.

This federal body, formed in 2019 to safeguard the electoral process, consists of representatives from CSIS, the RCMP, Global Affairs Canada, and the Communications Security Establishment, Canada’s cyberspy agency.

The SITE task force has previous experience monitoring byelections this year and in 2023.

Mr. LeBlanc mentioned that the task force will provide intelligence assessments to a committee of deputy ministers, who will in turn brief and advise the ministers responsible for combating foreign interference and protecting democratic institutions from harm.