Liberal government leaves door open for public inquiry on foreign interference

By The Canadian Press on June 10, 2023.

OTTAWA – The Liberal government is leaving the door open for a public inquiry into foreign interference, but it wants federal opposition parties to work together to come up with its terms of reference.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the opposition parties should be able to collaborate on the issue because they have demonstrated the ability to do so in the past few months.

That includes coming together to pass a non-binding motion in the House of Commons calling for David Johnston to step down from his role as special rapporteur investigating foreign interference.

Johnston agreed on Friday to resign by the end of the month, citing the highly partisan atmosphere around his work.

LeBlanc is tasked with consulting experts and opposition parties on the next steps, whether those involve continuing the work Johnston started or holding a public inquiry as opposition members have long been demanding.

He says he wants them to come with a list of people that could lead an inquiry, along with suggested terms of reference.