Conservatives offer to work with Liberals to fast-track foreign interference bill

The Conservatives are offering to help the minority Liberal government fast-track legislation to guard against foreign interference provided that the bill’s key provisions are put in place before the next federal election.

Conservative MP and foreign affairs critic Michael Chong extended the offer in a letter to the government Tuesday and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said he’s open to working with the Official Opposition to see the bill passed quickly into law. The length of time it will take to pass and implement the already long-delayed bill has been a key concern since the government introduced it three weeks ago, given that the next election must take place before October, 2025.

“The Government and Official Opposition must work together to ensure that our democratic institutions and elections are protected from the threats of authoritarian states,” Mr. Chong wrote. He said the Conservatives will help ensure the bill progresses rapidly “while ensuring sufficient scrutiny.”

After a cabinet meeting, Mr. LeBlanc said he has discussed the proposal with Mr. Chong and is prepared to work with the Conservatives.

“We are completely open to amendments that will strengthen the bill,” Mr. LeBlanc told reporters in French. He said he found it encouraging that the Official Opposition was willing to work with the government on such a significant bill.

‘Unacceptable state of affairs’: Watchdog slams handling of foreign interference intel

The federal government unveiled legislation in early May to combat foreign interference by creating a mandatory registry for people undertaking “influence activity” in politics or government on behalf of foreign powers and giving Canada’s top spy agency more authority to combat threats.

The Countering Foreign Interference Act would also create new foreign-interference criminal offences, including political interference. When it tabled the bill, the government said it would make it easier to prosecute anyone who tries to coerce someone with intimidation or threats on behalf of a foreign entity or terrorist group.

The omnibus bill was tabled days after the Hogue inquiry into foreign interference released its first report, saying meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections undermined the right of Canadian voters to have an electoral process “free from coercion or covert influence” and may have affected results in a small number of ridings.

The acts of foreign interference that occurred, or are suspected to have occurred, “are a stain on our electoral process and impacted the process leading up to the actual vote,” Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue wrote.

The legislation also creates a Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner, who would oversee the newly created registry.

Intelligence experts told The Globe ensuring that Bill C-70 is in place before the next election is critical to deter foreign interference in the next campaign and to put in place more protections. However, University of Ottawa professor Thomas Juneau cautioned that Conservative support alone will not ensure the bill is in place prior to the next election given that it will face other hurdles, including getting through the Senate.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has previously said it’s concerned that the new legislation is not compliant with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and requires significant changes. When asked about the possibility of fast-tracking the legislation, the group noted on Tuesday that the sweeping bill amends laws pertaining to the federal spy agency, criminal law and national security, and leaves significant portions of some of the new protocols to future regulations.

“It is essential there are meaningful and thorough committee hearings in the House and Senate to ensure civil society and experts can effectively review the bill and suggest amendments,” the group said in a statement from its directors Shakir Rahim and Anaïs Bussières McNicoll.

Mr. LeBlanc also defended his government’s approach to intelligence on foreign interference after the release of a highly critical report from the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA). The report described an “unacceptable state of affairs” with respect to poor tracking of who has read or received key intelligence reports. The report also described tension and disagreement between key branches of the federal government’s intelligence community.

Mr. LeBlanc said significant changes have already been made that address the issues raised in the report. He said the Prime Minister directed more than a year ago that there should be broader sharing of intelligence information with relevant ministers.

“Those improvements have been largely in place for some time,” he said.

In an interview, Mr. Chong questioned the minister’s assertion, noting that the report provides detailed examples of confusion and disagreement over documents prepared for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as recently as last year.

Mr. Chong said the Prime Minister is ultimately the one who must ensure the system that provides him with advice and national-security intelligence is functioning properly.

“The Prime Minister is responsible for that breakdown,” he said. “It just seems like chaos.”

Mr. Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong had been targeted by Beijing in the leadup to the 2021 election.

In Question Period, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said the report details a serious lack of co-ordination on national-security matters.

“These are not challenges, they are a monumental failure through ignorance and a lack of interest,” Mr. Blanchet said.

Carleton University associate professor Stephanie Carvin, a former CSIS intelligence analyst, said the report clearly identifies problems with how intelligence is managed inside government. She said she agreed with the report’s recommendation that more needs to be done to improve the “intelligence literacy” of the government officials who receive and interpret intelligence.

The report said intelligence consumers in government did not always understand the significance of the intelligence they received nor how to integrate it into their policy analysis and decision-making.

It also said there were disagreements between intelligence units and senior public servants as to whether activities being described were foreign interference or legitimate diplomatic activity.

“The value of this report is understanding where the breakdowns have happened,” she said. “If we don’t get the public administration aspects of intelligence correct, there are real consequences.”

NDP MP and public safety critic Alistair MacGregor said in a statement that the Liberals have done very little to deal with foreign interference. He accused the Conservatives of only pretending to care and failing to consider the need to study the bill, hear from witnesses and do “everything responsibly to protect Canadians’ interests and our democratic institutions.”

Mr. MacGregor said the NDP is however, looking for ways to expedite the recommendations from the NSIRA report.

Both the NSIRA report and the public inquiry led by Commissioner Hogue have raised concerns about accessing documents subject to cabinet confidence. Mr. Trudeau defended the level of disclosure from his government, but didn’t commit to releasing the requested documents.

“We have demonstrated transparency and openness with the commissioner and with all the different commissions,” he said.

A House committee on Tuesday passed a motion calling for Mr. LeBlanc and senior civil servants to testify on the redaction concerns raised by Commissioner Hogue.

The Liberals voted against the Conservative motion. It was supported by the NDP and the Bloc Québécois.