Trudeau Cabinet also withheld the documents from David Johnston – no sign inquiry is pressing Trudeau Cabinet to disclose the documents
Loopholes in election, political finance, lobbying and ethics rules and weak enforcement make secret, unethical interference and misinformation legal
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, April 11, 2024
OTTAWA – Today, Democracy Watch released the submission it made on February 8th to the Hogue Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Canadian politics requesting that the Inquiry demand written, public answers from the Trudeau Cabinet about why it is withholding some Cabinet documents from the Inquiry, and also withheld them from Special Rapporteur David Johnston, and to ensure the Cabinet discloses the documents to the Inquiry.
Canada’s spy agencies have disclosed all foreign-interference related documents they have without redactions to the Inquiry so Commissioner Hogue can see all the details to determine what actually happened. The Trudeau Cabinet disclosed Cabinet confidence documents to last year’s inquiry into the use of the Emergencies Act, so it clearly can disclose such records to the Hogue Inquiry.
The submission is also posted on the Inquiry’s website. The Inquiry Commissioner and staff have not responded to the requests set out in the submission. Democracy Watch is an intervener in the Inquiry and is represented at the Inquiry by Wade Poziomka and Nick Papageorge of Ross & McBride LLP.
“The foreign interference inquiry commissioner should not tolerate this excessive secrecy by the Trudeau Cabinet and should demand disclosure of the records,” said Duff Conacher, Co-founder of Democracy Watch. “If the Trudeau Cabinet continues to hide records from the inquiry into foreign interference, Canadians are justified in assuming that disclosure of the records would make the Cabinet look bad, and that is why the records are being kept secret.”
On March 23, 2024, Democracy Watch also submitted to the Hogue Inquiry a list of 10 key witnesses and about 140 key questions to ask them. The questions are aimed mainly at revealing the many loopholes in Canadian federal election, donation and spending, lobbying and ethics laws, and the lack of independent, effective enforcement of those laws.
The loopholes in the laws make secret, unethical foreign interference and misinformation activities legal, so no watchdog is even monitoring the activities, which makes it impossible to determine the extent of interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections, or after those elections up to now, or to stop the interference.
Almost all the watchdogs who are supposed to enforce the few rules that exist chosen in secret by the ruling party Cabinet, many of them serve at the pleasure of the Cabinet, most don’t do inspections or audits, most are not required to issue public rulings on every allegation they investigate, and in many cases there are no penalties for violating the laws. As a result, their enforcement is weak and ineffective and does little to discourage violations.
“A foreign-agent registry will not be enough to stop foreign interference in Canadian politics, especially if it is full of loopholes,” said Conacher. “Last year the lobbying commissioner gutted ethical lobbying rules, and MPs added a loophole to their ethics code so foreign-sponsored lobby groups can sponsor intern spies in their offices. Those changes, combined with the existing loopholes and flaws in Canada’s election, political donation and spending, lobbying and ethics laws, make it even easier than it was in the past for foreign governments, businesses and organizations to influence Canadian politics and politicians in secret, including by making false claims on social media sites.”
“All our key democracy laws, including laws that claim to be aimed at stopping foreign interference, are enforced by weak lapdogs who are handpicked by the ruling party Cabinet, and they operate largely in secret and lack powers and accountability for doing their jobs properly,” said Conacher.
Click here to see the Backgrounder that summarizes all the loopholes and weak enforcement problems that make foreign interference legal and easy to do.
Click here to see summary list of 17 key changes to stop foreign interference.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Duff Conacher, Co-founder of Democracy Watch
Tel: (613) 241-5179
Cell: 416-546-3443
Email: [email protected]
Democracy Watch’s Stop Foreign Interference in Canadian Politics Campaign and Open Government Campaign