Foreign Interference Inquiry: Many Questions Still Remain, Including Why Intelligence Was Ignored

Commentary Many questions still linger after the interim report on foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections was released on May 3. In fairness to Justice Hogue, she had little time to weigh the significance of a tonne of material, much of it classified. And yet there it was, a 194-page brick of a summary. Although that begs the question: Who reads a 194-page behemoth full of government-speak? Despite its length, a lot of questions remain unanswered and some conclusions drawn are baffling—and unsupported, to my mind. First, to the questions still in need of a response. Why was intelligence ignored? Why did the prime minister not take the time to read what CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) provided him and his team? Why did the PM say that CSIS intelligence is not good enough? Why did the Liberal Party not prevent busloads of non-Canadian citizens from attending nomination meetings? Why were opposition MPs not informed of attempts by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to undermine their campaigns? The list goes on and on....