Ottawa: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau launched an independent investigator to probe China’s alleged interference in the recent election.
The investigator will review the reports of the 2019 and 2021 federal elections and make suggestions for future elections. China has denied any election interference, calling it “completely baseless and defamatory”.
Speaking in the the Chair of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA), Trudeau has asked the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) to complete a review to assess the state of foreign interference in federal electoral processes.
Trudeau also announced that in the coming days he will appoint an eminent Canadian to the position of Independent Special Rapporteur, who will have a wide mandate to make expert recommendations on protecting and enhancing Canadians’ faith in our democracy.
In the coming weeks, the Independent Special Rapporteur will be responsible for informing the work of the NSIRA and the NSICOP and any other existing processes and investigations that may be carried out by independent bodies like Canada’s Commissioner of Elections and identify gaps that may still remain in the oversight and protection of our democracy.