Katie Telford, chief of staff to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, departs after appearing as a witness before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, studying foreign election interference, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Friday, April 14, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
OTTAWA – Members of the Liberal and Conservative backrooms will step into the spotlight to testify today before a parliamentary committee that’s probing allegations of foreign election interference.
The committee on procedure and House affairs is set to hear from Jeremy Broadhurst, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who served as the Liberals’ campaign director during the 2019 federal vote.
Also set to appear is Azam Ishmael, the Liberals’ national director and the person who oversaw the party’s campaign during the most recent federal election in 2021.
The Conservative party’s national campaign manager in 2021, Fred DeLorey, is also set to appear along with Hamish Marshall, who held the same role in 2019.
The committee recently heard from Trudeau’s longtime chief of staff, Katie Telford, who repeatedly told MPs that national security provisions prevented her from divulging details about briefings on interference.
Concerns about Chinese meddling in Canada’s affairs have ramped up after a string of media reports citing anonymous sources alleged that Beijing tried to influence the outcome of the last election.
Many of those concerns are tied to the 2021 federal election, where Conservative candidates lost in several ridings home to many voters of Chinese descent.
Former MP Kenny Chiu reported seeing false information spread about him through WeChat during the campaign.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2023.
