After reviewing allegations made by Prime Minister Trudeau's NSICOP committee that there are traitors in Parliament conspiring with foreign governments, Canada's Hogue Commission on foreign interference has concluded that the allegations were not supported by the evidence.
No evidence of 'traitors' in Parliament conspiring with foreign states: public inquiry | CBC News | Catherine Tunney:
A report last spring by a parliamentary committee with top-secret clearance alleged some elected officials were 'wittingly' acting in the interests of foreign entities. Tuesday's report by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue says she found no such evidence. (Sean Kilpatrick/ Canadian Press)
January 28, 2025 - "The public inquiry studying foreign election meddling said while it's noticed some concerning behaviour, it found no evidence that 'traitors' in Parliament are plotting with hostile states against Canada's interests. In her final report, released on Tuesday, Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue wrote that although she has seen a few cases where a foreign state has attempted to curry favour with parliamentarians, the phenomenon remains marginal and largely ineffective'....
"She added that there is no evidence to suggest that parliamentarians owe their seats to foreign entities and she is 'not aware of any federal legislation, regulations or policies that have been enacted or repealed on account of foreign interference.'
"Her findings cap off months of concern and heated debate in Ottawa following a bombshell report from one of Canada's intelligence watchdogs last spring.
"In June, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), made up of MPs and senators with top-secret security clearance, said some parliamentarians are 'semi-witting or witting' participants of efforts by foreign states to interfere in Canadian politics.... NSICOP members said they saw intelligence suggesting MPs worked to influence their colleagues on India's behalf and proactively provided confidential information to Indian officials. The committee also reported that China believes it has a quid pro quo relationship with some MPs who will engage with the Chinese Communist Party in exchange for Beijing mobilizing its vast networks in their favour.
"Hogue and her team of lawyers were asked to review the NSICOP report's findings, some of which she disputed. She said some of the report's findings were 'more definitive than the underlying intelligence could support' and 'sometimes contained inaccuracies.' 'The consternation caused by the NSICOP report, while understandable, is in some important respects unwarranted,' Hogue wrote.
"She did note that there are legitimate concerns about some parliamentarians potentially having problematic relationships with foreign officials, exercising poor judgment, behaving naively and perhaps displaying questionable ethics. 'But I did not see evidence of parliamentarians conspiring with foreign states against Canada,' the report concludes. 'While some conduct may be concerning, I did not see evidence of "traitors" in Parliament.'"
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/foreign-interference-final-report-1.7442817
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