A panel of bureaucrats responsible for informing the public about election threats chose not to alert the public about foreign interference in the 2019 Don Valley North nomination race, the foreign interference inquiry heard on April 8. The panel believed that providing a briefing to the Liberal Party would mitigate the risk sufficiently.
The inquiry has been focusing on allegations of irregularities and interference by the Chinese regime in the race won by MP Han Dong. Despite being briefed on the issue in 2019, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decided to keep Mr. Dong in place.
The members of the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol in 2019, consisting of five senior bureaucrats, testified before the public inquiry on April 8. Nathalie Drouin, who was the deputy justice minister at the time, explained that the panel did not make any public announcements despite receiving information about foreign interference, including in the Don Valley North riding.
Although the nomination race was outside the panel’s mandate, it was still examined due to its potential impact on the credibility of the process. The panel concluded that the information they had did not meet the threshold for making a public announcement and did not compromise a free and fair election.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) had briefed the Liberal Party on intelligence related to Don Valley North, which influenced the panel’s decision not to raise the issue publicly. Mitigation operations were considered important in reducing the risk and potential impacts of foreign interference.
Ms. Drouin, who is currently the deputy clerk of the Privy Council and the prime minister’s national security and intelligence advisor, testified that the panel’s threshold for raising issues publicly was very high to avoid creating harm or confusion.
CSIS intelligence revealed “irregularities” in the nomination race, including activities by individuals close to Chinese officials. International Chinese students were allegedly bussed in to vote for Mr. Dong, with some provided fake documents to vote. The Chinese consulate also issued veiled threats to students to support Mr. Dong.
Mr. Dong left the Liberal Party in 2023 following allegations of providing advice to the Chinese consul general in Toronto. The inquiry has released an intelligence summary of Mr. Dong’s conversation with the consul general, highlighting his views on the “Two Michaels” case.
CSIS had sent an intelligence assessment about foreign interference in Mr. Dong’s campaign after the 2019 elections. The report indicated that a politically-connected Canadian had an impact on the election and posed a foreign interference threat afterward.
The public inquiry is completing its hearings on foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 general elections this week. Mr. Trudeau, his ministers, and political staff are expected to testify in the coming days.
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