The final report of the public inquiry into allegations of foreign interference has been delayed more than expected.
On Friday, Public Safety Minister Dominique Leblanc said the investigating commissioner, Marie-Josée Hoag, had asked for more time and agreed to extend the deadline until January 31, 2025. Initially, she had until December 31 of this year to submit her final findings.
The minister’s office said it had notified the opposition party of a one-month extension.
In his first report, released in May, Hogue called foreign interference a “stain” on the country’s electoral system, but said attempted interference would not affect which party forms government. said.
“Our system remains healthy,” she wrote. “Voters were able to vote and their votes were duly registered and counted. There is nothing to suggest that there was any interference in this regard.”
The investigation was prompted by media reports last year that accused China of interfering in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, citing anonymous security officials and classified documents. Some reports suggested that members of the Liberal government were aware of certain attempts at interference but failed to act.
Since January, Hogue and a team of lawyers have at times questioned the extent of foreign interference in the past two elections by multiple countries, including China and Russia, and whether information was shared with the right people at the right time. I have heard many hours of contradictory testimony.
