Commissioner Justice Marie-Josee Hogue arrives for session of the Foreign Interference commission begins fall hearings on Sept. 16, 2024 in Ottawa.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue says the public inquiry into foreign interference will delve into allegations that some parliamentarians collaborated with foreign governments such as China and India, but she will not publicly reveal their names.
In an opening statement at the final phase of the inquiry Monday, Justice Hogue said she will investigate the findings of a report by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, an oversight body for national-security and intelligence organizations set up by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
NSICOP said earlier this year that Canadian intelligence agencies gathered information indicating some federal politicians are collaborating with foreign governments to advance their own interests.
Justice Hogue was asked to investigate these parliamentarians and make recommendations about what to do about them. She told the inquiry Monday that Canadians will not learn the names of the parliamentarians suspected of wittingly or unwittingly participating in foreign-interference activities.
“It is not this commission’s function to attempt to identify individuals as alleged wrongdoers – it is neither entitled nor positioned to do so,” Justice Hogue said.
The NSICOP report said some politicians are accepting money from foreign governments and are communicating frequently with them to obtain support from community groups and businesses that foreign diplomats have promised to mobilize to help political campaigns.
Other parliamentarians allegedly provided privileged information to foreign diplomats about fellow colleagues in Parliament as a way to press them to change positions. Some also allegedly leaked confidential information to foreign intelligence officers.
The House of Commons passed a motion before the summer recess, asking the public inquiry to investigate NSICOP’s report.
“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,” Ms. Hogue said in outlining her reasons for not publicly identifying the parliamentarians.
The Inquiries Act also prevents her from making adverse findings against people unless they have been given notice and “full opportunity to be heard with respect to the charge of misconduct,” she said.
“In the present case, the allegations are based on classified information, which means that the commission can neither make them public nor even disclose them to the persons who might be the subject of these allegations,” Justice Hogue said. “The commission would therefore be incapable of affording these people a meaningful opportunity to defend themselves.”
However, she said the inquiry will address the allegations in the classified version of her final report and make recommendations. The final report will be delivered to the government at the end of December.
She cautioned that the inquiry’s probe into these parliamentarians will be done in “such a way as not to jeopardize any other investigation or proceeding, whether ongoing or forthcoming.”
However, she promised that the public will not be completely in the dark about what transpired.
“Some information cannot be revealed publicly without jeopardizing national security. That being said, I am confident that the information that will be disclosed will be sufficient to enable the public to understand the findings I make, the conclusions I will draw and the recommendations that I propose.”
Justice Hogue said she has received all the intelligence and documents on which NSICOP based its report. She subsequently requested and obtained further intelligence “relevant to the events alleged in the NSICOP report.”
For the most part, she said, the inquiry will focus on examining how the federal government and its agencies operated to combat foreign interference.
She intends to hear from a wide range of witnesses, including those who believe there is little need to put in tougher measures to counter foreign interference.
Over the summer months, Justice Hogue said, she held 22 meetings with 105 people from dozens of diaspora communities to hear their concerns about foreign interference and what can be done about it.