NDP member of Parliament Peter Julian speaks to reporters in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, June 15, 2023. Julian says Canadians can be confident that a public inquiry on foreign interference is going to happen. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA – New Democratic House leader Peter Julian says Canadians can be confident that a public inquiry on foreign interference is going to happen.
Opposition parties wanted the government to announce the inquiry before the House of Commons rose for the summer break, but the sitting adjourned Wednesday night without any agreement.
Still, Julian says he is optimistic an inquiry deal between the government and opposition parties will be reached after further talks between them, but would not say when he thinks it will be announced.
However he did suggest a deal will include both the name of the commissioner to lead the independent public inquiry, as well as its mandate.
The government has been adamant it will not agree to a public inquiry without opposition parties coming to a consensus about the details.
They want to avoid the intense criticism that met their decision to appoint former governor general David Johnston as a special rapporteur to investigate the issue.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2023.
