Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister Katie Telford arrives to appear as a witness at the Public Order Emergency Commission in Ottawa, on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a motion to compel his chief of staff to testify about foreign interference at a House of Commons committee will not be a confidence matter. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office says his chief of staff, Katie Telford, will testify at a House of Commons committee on the issue of foreign interference in Canadian elections.
The move has made moot a vote planned later today on a Conservative motion before the entire House of Commons to demand that Telford appear.
It came moments after NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said his party would back the Conservative motion if Liberal members of Parliament did not stop filibustering at the committee.
The Liberals had been jamming up the procedure and House affairs committee to prevent a motion that would compel Telford to appear, prompting the Conservatives to take the case to all MPs.
Trudeau’s office has also now issued the mandate for special rapporteur David Johnston, who is tasked with overseeing investigations into foreign interference.
He will have until the end of October to complete his work and make recommendations for how the government should proceed, including whether a public inquiry is needed on the issue.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2023.
