Trudeau, other officials set to reappear at foreign interference inquiry

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his inner circle are slated to return to a federal inquiry into foreign interference in the coming weeks.

A newly published provisional witness list for the next phase of the inquiry’s public work indicates senior government bureaucrats and members of national security agencies will also testify.

Trudeau and key government officials took part in the commission’s initial hearings earlier this year on allegations of foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue’s interim report, released in early May, said foreign meddling by China did not affect the overall results of the two general elections.

The report said while outcomes in a small number of ridings may have been affected by interference, this cannot be said with certainty.

In the second part of the commission’s factual phase, public hearings set to begin Monday will focus on the capacity of federal agencies to detect, deter and counter foreign meddling.

The hearings, scheduled to continue through Oct. 16, will be relatively broad in scope, examining democratic institutions and the experiences of diaspora communities.

Beginning Oct. 21, the commission will then hold a week of policy consultations, including a series of roundtable discussions featuring experts, to help Hogue develop recommendations.

Her final report is due by the end of the year.

Elections Canada has already suggested possible changes to protect the political nomination process from foreign meddling, including barring non-citizens from helping choose candidates and requiring parties to publish contest rules.

Representatives of the federal elections agency are likely to discuss the proposals at the inquiry’s coming