Ottawa:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted on Wednesday that Canada’s last two elections were indeed “determined by Canadians,” pushing back against criticism that his government did not do enough to prevent foreign interference.
Trudeau testified for hours before an independent committee investigating allegations that China and other countries tried to interfere with Canada’s democratic process and Ottawa’s response.
“The integrity of those elections was determined by Canadians,” Trudeau testified, referring to the 2019 and 2021 elections, both won by his Liberal party.
Ministers, intelligence officials and top Trudeau aides also testified at the hearing, which was organized to try to shed light on a political scandal that has rocked Canada for more than a year.
The opposition Conservatives accuse Ottawa of turning a blind eye to alleged interference, particularly by China. Beijing denies accusations of interference.
An intelligence report submitted to the committee described China’s activities as “sophisticated, pervasive, persistent and targeting all levels of government and civil society across the country.”
However, Trudeau and several ministers present at the inquiry downplayed the intelligence, saying it was often not conclusive.
The prime minister cited the example of a foreign diplomat who was caught bragging to superiors that they had successfully influenced the outcome of Canada’s election, saying: “Bragging is not acceptable.”
In another instance, he said he did not have enough evidence to overturn the nomination of a candidate accused of playing into Beijing’s pocket.
During three-and-a-half hours of testimony, Trudeau said countering foreign disinformation in the election “wasn’t on the radar at all” when he came to power in 2015.
“So we started from scratch,” he said, outlining several inspections his administration has implemented since then.
“There’s always more to do,” he added.
Erin O’Toole, Trudeau’s main rival in the final vote, told the inquiry that he believed his Conservatives lost as many as eight votes in the 2021 election due to foreign interference. seats, the Liberals once again returned to power with a minority government.
Some believe the Conservatives, who have taken a tough stance against China over its human rights record and security crackdown in Hong Kong, are viewed less favorably by Beijing than Trudeau’s Liberals.
Trudeau rejected that assessment, telling the inquiry: “It seems unlikely that the Chinese government itself has preferences in the election.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
