Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Oct. 8. A federal inquiry into interference in Canada's affairs is slated to hear today from Joly. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby
OTTAWA – Former public safety minister Marco Mendicino says he is very worried the public conversation about some parliamentarians being complicit in foreign interference is becoming a “kangaroo court.”
Mendicino said at a federal inquiry into foreign meddling today that it’s important to follow due process under the law before leaping to conclusions about the conduct of parliamentarians.
The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians said in June that some elected officials were “semi-witting or witting” participants in the efforts of foreign states to interfere in Canadian politics.
The blunt assertion by NSICOP, an intelligence watchdog made up of MPs and senators who are sworn to secrecy, prompted a flurry of concern that people knowingly involved in interference might still be active in politics.
Mendicino, who served as minister until July of last year, told the inquiry the advice of non-partisan security officials should be heeded if a parliamentarian is suspected of aiding a foreign adversary.
If appropriate, he added, the matter should then be turned over to law enforcement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2024.
