For weeks in June, fears grew on Capitol Hill that unknown representatives and senators were being put at risk, perhaps knowingly, by a foreign country. The fears were fueled by surprising but unclear Report by the Congressional National Security Intelligence Committee.
“We cannot and must not remain indifferent to revelations like these,” said Bloc Québécois MP Rene Villemure. said.
“The allegations that members of parliament knowingly accepted assistance from a foreign government are deeply disturbing,” New Democrat MP Alastair McGregor said. “Anyone with such interests should not be in this House of Commons.”
“Any member who knowingly, knowingly and knowingly supports a foreign government that undermines the interests of members of Parliament, their privileges and the interests of Canada and its people should be expelled from Parliament,” Conservative MP Michael Chong said.
There was a big demand to “name names.”
Four months later, no names have been named, and there is not even an agreed-upon process for naming them.
So what happens next?
In June, lawmakers voted 320-2 to listen Judge Marie-Josée Hogue is set to examine the NSICOP findings as part of an ongoing public inquiry into foreign interference. But last week, Judge Hogue said said She was not competent to adjudicate the matter — at least not in the way that lawmakers had expected.
“The allegations contained in the NSICOP report are based on confidential information which cannot be disclosed to the individuals in question, and therefore those individuals will not be in a position to be heard regarding any findings the committee may make against them,” she wrote.
“Therefore, as a result of its dual obligation to respect the rules of national security confidentiality and procedural fairness, the Commission cannot make findings that would identify individuals involved in the allegations.”
Meanwhile, NDP MP Jenny Kwan has called on Speaker Greg Fergus to consider the allegations raised in the NSICOP report a matter of privilege for all MPs. But on Monday, Fergus said Reported He couldn’t find At first glance Violation of privilege.
Had Fergus ruled in Kwan’s favor, she could have referred the matter to a parliamentary committee for further investigation, but the parliamentary committee could still choose to pursue the matter on its own. If lawmakers were so inclined, they could also try to design a process to investigate the allegations contained in the NSICOP report and determine whether further action (including expulsion) is necessary.
But there’s no guarantee that the House of Commons won’t be dissolved and an election called in the coming weeks or months. And political attention has clearly shifted elsewhere: The NSICOP report has not been mentioned once during question and answer sessions since MPs returned to Ottawa earlier this month.
Four months ago, Congress I was seized by attacks of doubt and fear. — perhaps with good reason, given the accusations against the unnamed congressman. But now it seems the plot may just fizzle out without any apparent resolution.
Just naming the names is not the answer
The call to “come forward” was always going to be shortsighted. Without some sort of due process, naming people would turn a very real issue of foreign interference into a witch hunt.
But as Hogue concluded, the information on which NSICOP’s findings are based is highly confidential, making it difficult to create a fair process for reviewing and verifying the evidence.
Given these challenges, it is fair to ask whether NSICOP was wrong to bring charges against the unnamed lawmakers. said In a submission to the Speaker, he said: “No names have been mentioned in the report and therefore all 338 members of the House, including those who have left this chamber, Cloud of doubt“
NSICOP members might argue that they were nevertheless justified in sounding the alarm: the need to focus public and political attention on a serious problem outweighed the cost of leaving a shadow of doubt in Congress. Without knowing what evidence and information the committee looked at, it is difficult to judge their decision.
For the bombshell statement dropped by NSICOP to be justified, the ensuing explosive events would need to lead to tangible improvements in the way Canadian political institutions deal with the threat of foreign interference.
The parties reached an agreement in June. Enact new laws quickly Several measures will be implemented, including the Foreign Agents Registration. Party nomination election.
Public Security Minister Dominique Leblanc said he takes very seriously the comments made by leaders who have read the unredacted NSICOP report, but wishes Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poirierbre had taken steps to obtain a security clearance so he could read the report. Leblanc also said that “by law” the government cannot release the names of lawmakers implicated in the document.
“We were confronted with disturbing information that the nomination process and leadership selection are particularly vulnerable to foreign interference,” NSICOP Chairman David McGuinty said last spring.
But what about the still-unidentified lawmakers who may serve in the House or Senate who are accused of wrongdoing?
If neither Mr. Hogue nor the House of Representatives are ready or willing to address the issue; Suggested Two national security and governance experts proposed this in June. They suggested that party leaders seek briefings on relevant intelligence and, if necessary, take action within their party and caucuses in response to what they receive. While this approach may be unsatisfying to outside observers, it could allow for some response to remaining threats.
However, Conservative leader Pierre Poirievre previously Refused To obtain the necessary security clearance to view an unedited copy of the NSICOP report.
Behind the sensational headlines, allegations of foreign interference in Canadian politics have revealed a political culture and institutions that are ill-prepared to meet the challenges they present. Part of this may be due to the relative newness of the issue, the questions raised by leaked information, and the relative newness of some of the federal agencies established in recent years to combat interference, including NSICOP.
I can only hope that our political system will do a better job of handling this going forward.
