Hello,
Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue opened preliminary hearings of the foreign-interference inquiry today, vowing to uncover the truth about meddling in the 2019 and 2021 elections and recommend ways to limit countries such as China, Russia and India from trying to influence Canadian democracy.
Allegations of sophisticated Chinese foreign-influence operations in the past two election campaigns were raised last year by The Globe and Mail, based on secret and top secret intelligence documents compiled by agents of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
The CSIS documents and revelations that several MPs had also been targeted in disinformation campaigns by China need to be examined in detail, said Hogue, a judge of the Quebec Court of Appeal.
“Given the importance of protecting our democracy, these allegations have sparked significant debate and discussion, both at the political level and in the media,” she said. “My team and I will make every effort to get to the bottom of things and understand what the country has faced – and what it may still be facing in terms of foreign interference.”
Full story here by Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife and Senior Parliamentary Reporter Steven Chase.
Also, here’s a look at the revelations and events that led to the foreign-interference inquiry.
BACK IN BUSINESS
After a holiday break, the House of Commons is sitting again today for the first time this year. MPs are back after the party caucuses have held retreats to develop their plans for the work ahead. The Commons will sit until MPs take a break for the week beginning Feb. 19.
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TODAY'S HEADLINES
Muslim council cancels meeting with Trudeau over Liberal stand on hate crimes, Gaza: The chief executive of the National Council of Canadian Muslims said he sees no evidence Ottawa is willing to put pressure on Israel to ease its bombardment of the territory controlled by Hamas, whose brutal attack on Israel last October provoked a massive military response.
Canadian Hells Angels members implicated in U.S. case against Iran for assassination attempts on U.S. soil: A federal indictment says an Iranian drug trafficker operating under the orders of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security recruited a Canadian full-patch member of the Hells Angels to carry out a hit on two Iranians in Maryland in December, 2020.
Ottawa to offer low-cost loans for student housing: Housing Minister Sean Fraser, in Ottawa, said the federal government will reform its $40-billion Apartment Construction Loan Program to allow postsecondary institutions, as well as private developers and not-for-profit builders, to access the fund to expand student housing.
Pierre Poilievre pledges focus on housing, crime reduction in speech to caucus on eve of Parliament’s return: The federal Conservative Leader made the comments Sunday in a public speech to his caucus of MPs, who then met privately for several hours to discuss strategy.
Canadians gather to say a final goodbye to former NDP leader Ed Broadbent: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh struggled to contain his tears as he recounted how Broadbent, by then well-established as the party’s elder statesman, had helped him learn how best to manage the helm.
Pending by-election in Durham: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called a March 4 by-election in the Toronto-area riding of Durham, previously held by Erin O’Toole, the former leader of the federal Conservatives, CBC reports.
THIS AND THAT
BC Premier in Ottawa: Ahead of an afternoon meeting with Justin Trudeau, David Eby talked about housing and other issues he planned to raise with the Prime Minister.
Eby, who succeeded John Horgan as premier in 2022, was in the nation’s capital Sunday for the state funeral of Ed Broadbent. Fellow New Democrat Wab Kinew, the Premier of Manitoba, was also in town for the funeral, but departed without meeting Trudeau.
At a news conference near Parliament Hill, Eby said he wanted to ask Trudeau to support provincial programs to improve the supply of housing, as well as match the amount of money the province is putting into Indigenous housing. “We really do need the federal government to take the issue of Indigenous housing very, very seriously,” he said. Also, he said he wants Ottawa to identify housing they own in B.C. that may be suitable for housing.
Eby also said he hopes he can convince the federal government to target criminal organizations involved in securing precursor chemicals for fentanyl, crystal meth and other drugs through a Canadian version of RICO legislation used in the United States. That legislation, enacted in the 1970s, allows for extended criminal penalties for acts committed as part of an criminal organization.
Eby also said, without providing details, that Ottawa and Victoria are “very close” to some agreement to address the concerns he has raised about the fairness of B.C. being excluded from Ottawa’s three-year carbon price exemption for home heating oil and higher carbon price rebates mostly for Atlantic Canada. He said he had spoken to Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson about the matter, and noted, “We are trending in the right direction.”
Eby also indicated he had spoken to Immigration Minister Marc Miller today about international students and the federal government’s move to cap admissions for two years in a bid to deal with pressures on health care and housing.
Today in the Commons: Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, accessible here. The Senate sits again on Feb. 6.
Deputy Prime Minister’s day: Chrystia Freeland provided an update on the government’s economic plan during a news conference. Later, Freeland attended Question Period.
Ministers on the Road: Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is in Moldova today to meet with her counterparts and senior officials there. The trip will also include stops in Poland before it concludes Thursday.
Commons committee highlights: Sami Khoury, head of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, and Colin MacSween, director-general of the National Cyber Security Directorate, appears before the public safety and national security committee meeting on cybersecurity-related Bill C-26. Major-General Gregory Smith, director-general of international security policy for the Department of Defence, was among the witnesses at a national defence committee meeting on the Indo-Pacific region. Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson attended a natural resources committee on Bill-49, which in part aims to establish a new air passenger rights regime.
PRIME MINISTER'S DAY
Justin Trudeau attended Question Period and was scheduled to meet with B.C. Premier David Eby.
LEADERS
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet held a media scrum in the foyer of the House of Commons before attending Question Period.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May held a news conference to discuss Green parliamentary priorities, then was scheduled to attend the sitting of the House of Commons.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh spoke at the National Council of Canadian Muslims’ National Advocacy Day, held a news conference at the House of Commons, participated in Question Period, and delivered a tribute to former NDP Leader Ed Broadbent in the Commons.
No schedule released for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
THE DECIBEL
On today’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, senior parliamentary reporter Steven Chase talks about the stakes of the long-awaited inquiry into foreign interference, which begins today. The Decibel is here.
PUBLIC OPINION
Ontario Tories ahead of the Ontario Liberals by 11: Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives have 38 per cent support among polling respondents compared to 27 per cent for the provincial Liberals and 23 per cent for the NDP, according to new Abacus Data research.
Liberals up in Ipsos poll: The federal Conservatives still hold a wide lead over the Liberals, but the governing Liberals have reduced it to a single-digit lead, according to a Global News report.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on Ottawa’s next immigration emergency: “A pattern has emerged in Liberal immigration policy over the past year: Ignore mounting evidence of trouble, dismiss rumbles of criticism and, finally, take the smallest possible action to avert an all-out calamity. There was abundant evidence for months that the pace of new arrivals, particularly temporary migrants, was putting unacceptable strain on housing in big cities and other social infrastructure. But it was not until November that the Trudeau government took the tentative step of tamping down the growth in permanent immigration – misleadingly referred to as “stabilizing” by the government.”
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on how the big Canadian political question of 2024 is what would Pierre do: “The big question for 2024 is how Mr. Poilievre plans to build the better home he is promising Canadians. The odds he will become prime minister seem so high that his plans for governing are arguably now more consequential than Mr. Trudeau’s. So what would Pierre do?”
Kelly Cryderman (The Globe and Mail) on how the power of fossil fuel is enough to turn any progressive politician into a hypocrite: “There’s a long list of worries about what a second term for Donald Trump could mean for the world: rising authoritarianism, further protectionism, the continuing erosion of women’s rights, and more upheaval in geopolitics – just to name a few. Should Mr. Trump win in November, there’s also the question of how detrimental it will be to U.S. leadership on the environment.”
Shannon Proudfoot (The Globe and Mail) on how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is stuck in his own Rolling Stones moment: “Mr. Trudeau is now the sole proprietor of his very own bedraggled Liberal Party of Canada, and he is that aging rock star. He has basically no choice but to play his biggest hits from back in the day, hope the contrast with his younger and more limber self isn’t too awkward and pray at least some of the audience will sing along.”
Richard Fadden (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how Canada used to punch above its weight, but our defence capacity now seems an impossible dream: “For decades, our positions on foreign policy, defence and security could only be evaluated as weak. And this is not a partisan perspective: Since at least the end of the Cold War, successive federal governments have done as little as possible in these policy areas. Why does a G7 country – one of the richest in the world – systematically prioritize these sectors below virtually all others? We continue to do this while Canada benefits from the international order, which is now clearly at risk.”
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