Canadian Inquiry: Trudeau Cabinet Warned of Foreign Interference in 2022

Facts

• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government was made aware of 'hostile activity by state actors' (HASA) toward the country over two years ago, according to Canada's foreign interference inquiry hearing on Monday.^[1][2]
• A summary letter of a Memorandum to Cabinet (MC) released by the inquiry shows that the government was told in May 2022 that HASA was 'one of the greatest threats to Canada's national security' and had witnessed 'an increase in both volume and complexity of such threats in recent years.'^[3]
• The MC summary also directly alleges China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Iran as states engaging in activities such as espionage, foreign interference, disinformation, sabotage, intellectual property theft, coercion, and malicious cyber activity.^[3]
• The MC summary, alongside three others from 2018, 2019, and 2021, was entered into evidence following a new agreement between the Canadian government and the inquiry to grant 'unprecedented [public] access' following 'extensive discussions.'^[4][5]
• The Canadian government announced a public inquiry into foreign interference linked to its past two federal elections in September 2023. This is separate from a Commissioner of Canada Elections (CCE) report, which concluded that China did not break any laws while allegedly attempting to influence Canada's 2021 election.^[6][7]
• An initial report by the public inquiry in May this year found that the outcomes of the last two election cycles were not affected despite evidence of foreign interference by China and India — accusations that both countries have denied.^[8]

Sources: ^[1]Kamalaharris, ^[2]CBC, ^[3]Foreigninterferencecommission (a), ^[4]Foreigninterferencecommission (b), ^[5]CTVNews, ^[6]Verity (a), ^[7]Verity (b) and ^[8]BBC News.

Narratives

• Right narrative, as provided by Torontosun. Trudeau, his government, and the public inquiry have long known critical details concerning foreign election interference and yet continue to suppress this information to the public. Despite the demands of the Canadian people, Trudeau and his Liberal political class remain shielded from taking any responsibility for the continued erosion of the country's democratic framework.
• Left narrative, as provided by Canada's National Observer. While it is up to the government to get a grip on the issue at hand, Pierre Poilievre's deafening silence on a matter of such national importance speaks volumes about the opposition leader's capacity to lead. The Conservative's abnormal refusal to critique Trudeau and the Liberal Party in their customary abrasive fashion raises suspicion over the party's own role in allegations of foreign interference.
• Pro-China narrative, as provided by Chinadaily.com.cn. Canada's accusations of election interference are baseless and desperate. Canada's claims are ideologically motivated and intentionally misleading in order to distract from its own hypocritical attempts to influence Chinese domestic affairs in areas such as Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Predictions