Collusion allegations must go to foreign interference inquiry, Opposition parties say

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The Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois are proposing that allegations about federal politicians colluding with other countries be turned over to the foreign interference inquiry, an effort to get to the bottom of revelations that the governing Liberals say they cannot further discuss publicly.

The requests from the Bloc and Tories would ultimately expand the mandate given to Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, the head of a public inquiry currently in the middle of investigations into foreign meddling in Canada’s democracy.

On Monday, the House of Commons will debate the request made by the Bloc through one of the party’s few opposition day motions. MPs will vote on it on Tuesday and New Democrats have already said they will support the proposal.

The initiative was released by the Bloc on Friday. In an interview on Sunday, the motion’s sponsor, MP René Villemure, said that the House leaders for all of the major political parties have already been in talks about it. He pointed out that all four parties came together last year to agree on the initial terms of the inquiry and wants them to do so again to ensure the new allegations get addressed.

“This is a public-interest subject, it’s something really serious,” Mr. Villemure said. “This should not be a partisan issue, foreign interference has no colour and we’re putting this motion forward hoping for unanimous consent.”

A guide to foreign interference and China’s suspected influence in Canada

The Conservatives added their voice to the proposal on Sunday through a letter written by House Leader Andrew Scheer to Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc. In it, he argued that handing the matter to the Hogue inquiry is the “best way to balance the sensitivity of the intelligence information” with the need for Canadians to know the truth, “while providing a reasonable degree of due process” for those accused.

The government declined to say Sunday whether it will accept the proposal. The motion could pass in the House if all opposition parties support it, but it is a non-binding vote.

A national-security watchdog report last week revealed that some parliamentarians are collaborating with foreign governments for their own benefit. The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), an oversight body set up by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said in its special report that politicians are “wittingly” helping foreign governments like China and India meddle in Canadian politics.

“The integrity of our Parliament has been rocked by the findings of the special report,” Mr. Scheer wrote in the letter to Mr. LeBlanc. “If Canadians are to continue to have faith in their federal democratic institutions, they need to know who has broken their oath and betrayed their trust.”

He said failing to let Justice Hogue investigate the alleged collaborators would erode Canadians’ confidence in Parliament.

“Anything less risks fuelling public suspicion about a cover-up of information known to this government about members of Parliament working for foreign states against the interests of Canada.”

NSICOP, which is comprised of MPs from all major parties as well as senators, declined to identify the parliamentarians, saying it was constrained from doing so by restrictions built into its mandate. The government has refused to identify the federal politicians publicly and won’t say how many are accused or whether any sit in cabinet.

The Prime Minister’s Office has had the classified version of the report since March but has yet to outline any next steps as a result of the revelations.

Its bombshell findings have sparked a debate in Ottawa about how MPs and senators should proceed after being told of alleged collaborators in their midst. The Conservatives had previously challenged the government to name the alleged collaborators in the House of Commons. The governing Liberals have refused, saying it would be irresponsible.

The Bloc also say such a disclosure of names is irresponsible given national-security considerations. The NDP, meantime, have said that the government must find a way to release the names.

“Canadians deserve to know who these MPs are who are working to undermine our democracy,” said NDP deputy leader Alexandre Boulerice in a statement announcing his party’s support for the Bloc motion. “We must restore confidence in our democratic process, institutions and those who represent them.”

In his letter to Mr. LeBlanc, Mr. Scheer said the expanded mandate for Justice Hogue should include a requirement that she produce a finding of fact on each MP or senator, past or present, accused of knowingly participating in foreign interference. He recommended this be delivered in a report to Parliament no later than Oct. 1.

“These findings of fact would not constitute findings of criminal guilt, but would be intended to serve as an aid to the House and the Senate in the exercise of their respective privileges, immunities, and powers; to each political party whose members may be implicated; and above all to the Canadian public to strengthen its confidence in our political institutions,” Mr. Scheer wrote.

He said the Hogue Commission should be provided with all of the unredacted evidence on which the NSICOP report was based “and all necessary resources to allow it to carry out interviews and any further investigations required to assess the findings.”

The NSICOP report said some politicians are accepting money from foreign governments and are communicating frequently with foreign governments to obtain support from community groups or businesses that foreign diplomats have promised to mobilize to help their campaigns.

Others are allegedly providing foreign diplomats with privileged information on fellow parliamentarians knowing that this information will be used to put pressure on pressure these colleagues to change their positions. Some are lobbying colleagues or influencing parliamentary business to help a foreign state or leaking confidential information to known intelligence officers of foreign states, the report said.

Former Canadian spy chief Richard Fadden has said that Canada can’t allow allegations that parliamentarians are colluding with foreign powers to remain unresolved.

“Foreign interference by anybody is serious but the fact that parliamentarians might be involved makes it doubly serious,” Mr. Fadden said Friday. “And we need to do something about it before the next federal election.”