Trudeau accuses Tories of blocking interparty consensus on foreign interference investigations

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused the federal Conservative Party of blocking inter-party consensus on setting up a process for a potential public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada’s elections.

Mr. Trudeau told reporters in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., on July 5 that the government and opposition parties must agree on both the structure of a potential investigation and its leader before Ottawa can move forward with the case, but said that the Conservatives refuse to participate in the process.

“We need to make sure that all parties agree on the framework, the type of process to be put in place and who will lead it,” Trudeau said.

“We will not be able to move forward in earnest if the Conservative Party again refuses to participate in or accept the process we have proposed.”

Mr Trudeau also told reporters that the Conservatives “attacked” former Governor General David Johnston during his time as Special Rapporteur on Foreign Election Interference from March to early June.

Mr Johnston announced on 9 June that he would step down due to what he called a “very partisan atmosphere” surrounding his appointment.

After his resignation, the government said it was open to the prospect of a public inquiry into foreign interference, but made no guarantees that it would happen.

Intergovernmental Affairs Secretary Dominic LeBlanc has been consulting with all opposition party leaders since early June to determine “what the next steps should look like and who is best suited to lead this public work.”

Response from the Tories

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilièvre responded to Trudeau’s July 5 remarks in a statement a day later, saying the prime minister “is lying when he accuses the Conservatives of blocking consensus on a public inquiry into Beijing’s interference.”

“He has the power to call a public inquiry whenever he wants, so it is legally impossible for the Conservatives to block it,” Mr Poilièvre said in the July 6 statement, adding that the Tories “all political parties” have spoken. about launching a public inquiry since early June.

“We have names, terms and timeframes that we are happy to share,” said Mr. Poilièvre.

The Tory leader added that opposition leaders discussed the latest proposal for a potential investigative mandate on June 30 and met again earlier this week to finalize formulation.

He added that the Conservatives have “asked every day this week to meet to confirm an agreement,” but said neither Mr. Neither LeBlanc nor his office “picked up the phone or replied to an email within five days.”

“They also did not provide the final text that was discussed,” said Mr. Poilièvre.

Omid Ghoreishi contributed to this report.