NDP MP Jenny Kwan Granted Standing in Foreign Interference Inquiry

NDP MP Jenny Kwan has secured the right to question witnesses and examine classified documents during the forthcoming public inquiry into foreign interference. Despite a delayed application, the inquiry commissioner cited Ms. Kwan’s reported experiences of interference by Beijing as the basis for granting her standing. In a Jan. 8 decision, Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue highlighted the parallels between Ms. Kwan’s situation and that of Conservative MP Michael Chong. Similarly identified as a target of Bejing, Mr. Chong received an extension to apply for participation in the inquiry and was granted the same access as Ms. Kwan on Dec. 14, 2023. “In my view, Ms. Kwan stands in substantially the same position as Mr. Chong. Both are current Parliamentarians who are reported to be the subjects of foreign interference activities. Both indicate that this information was revealed to them, albeit belatedly, by CSIS [Canadian Security Intelligence Service],” Ms. Hogue explained in her decision....