foreign interference

New polling suggests the majority of Canadians want the federal government to call an independent inquiry into foreign interference in the last two federal elections, but still feel the country's electoral system is safe.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly confirmed on Thursday, March 9, 2023, that Canada denied a diplomatic visa request from a Chinese political operative last fall due to concerns about foreign interference — and said she wouldn't hesitate to expel diplomats for the same reason.

The Liberal government is poised to take the next step toward creating a registration system to help prevent foreign meddling in Canadian affairs.

Opposition Conservatives say if Canadians want answers about China's meddling in the past two federal elections, they need to hear from Katie Telford, who has served as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's chief of staff since the Liberals were swept into power in 2015.

Mark Lee, a professional translator and former council candidate in Richmond, B.C., says he knows what it's like to walk the fine line faced by fellow Chinese Canadians entering the political arena amid scrutiny of alleged foreign interference.

Canada's official Opposition is expressing little confidence that the Liberal government will appoint a truly independent watchdog to investigate foreign interference.

The move does not include calling a public inquiry into allegations of foreign meddling in Canada's elections, against the explicit demands of opposition parties.

The RCMP is not investigating any allegations of foreign interference concerning the last general election, the federal deputy minister of public safety told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.

Former civil servant Morris Rosenberg says the panel created by the protocol did not find there was foreign interference in either the 2019 or 2021 elections that compared to the scale of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.

Canadians still do not have access to an assessment of the work done by a panel tasked with flagging incidents of foreign interference during the last election in 2021.

Canada's spy service warns that adversaries will turn to espionage and foreign interference tactics to target the country's increasingly important artificial-intelligence sector.

Some members of Parliament say they have no idea how to spot foreign interference, as Canada's spy agency warns that all elected officials are targets for hostile states.

Politicians including a Liberal MP and a senator say they fear allegations of Chinese interference in the 2019 federal election will lead to anti-Asian racism. 

The federal government is preparing to consult the public on the possible creation of a foreign agent registry as a means of preventing outside interference in Canadian affairs, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says.

China and Russia are meddling in Canadian affairs, a national security-and-intelligence watchdog says in a new report that cites evidence of "significant and sustained" foreign interference directed at Canada.