Most Canadians surveyed want the public release of the names of MPs accused of foreign interference, according to a new poll.
Sixty-eight per cent of those surveyed want the disclosure of the names and for the elected officials to have an opportunity to publicly explain their actions, according to a Nanos Research survey conducted for The Globe and Mail.
Meanwhile, 28 per cent say implicated elected officials should have a chance to explain themselves before the inquiry into foreign interference led by Marie-Josée Hogue.
Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has urged the Liberal government to name the parliamentarians cited in a report released in June by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians.
That report said Canada’s intelligence services found some parliamentarians to be “semi-witting or witting” participants in foreign-interference efforts. The federal government has not committed to naming those individuals.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, speaking for the government, has ruled out releasing the names of parliamentarians accused in the report of helping foreign states intervene in Canadian democracy.
The Globe and Mail has reported that the names of some parliamentarians are included in a classified version of the NSICOP report. Mr. LeBlanc has said federal law prevents the government from releasing additional information about those facing allegations.
Nik Nanos, chief data scientist and founder of Nanos Research, said he was surprised by the appetite to have names released, suggesting in a statement that it may be the results of a degree of public surprise that any parliamentarian could advance the interests of a foreign power.
Mr. Nanos said if it ever becomes clear that elected officials tied to such foreign interference are tied to one particular party, that party will suffer a hit to its political fortunes.
“If it is a phenomenon across the political spectrum then the overall brand of politicians takes a hit,” he wrote.
Respondents were also asked about the appropriate punishment for members found guilty of interfering in Canadian democracy on behalf of a foreign state.
Sixty-five per cent called for a criminal charge with jail time while 53 per cent said they should be removed from whatever caucus they belong to. Twelve per cent called for a fine with a warning.
Justice Hogue has said her inquiry into foreign interference will look at the concerns raised by the intelligence committee.
The Nanos research also found that about nine in 10 Canadians say it is not appropriate or somewhat not appropriate for an elected member of Parliament to advocate on behalf of a foreign power.
And it found that three in four Canadians support having a government registry requiring people who act on behalf of a foreign state to disclose their ties to the government supporting them.
Recently enacted legislation establishes such a registry as part of a package of measures that includes new powers to Canada’s spy agency and the creation of new criminal offences, such as political interference.
The results of the Nanos poll are based on a hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1,018 respondents, 18 years of age or older, between June 28 and July 3 as part of an omnibus survey. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.