Key questions Trudeau could face at the foreign interference inquiry
When the prime minister testifies at the public inquiry into foreign interference Wednesday he will face meticulous questioning from a room full of lawyers intent on getting to the bottom of what Justin Trudeau knew about China鈥檚 meddling in the 2019 and 2021 elections.
But it鈥檚 the questions about what Trudeau did after he found out about Beijing's interference that could set off political fireworks in the room.
Starting in the afternoon, Trudeau is scheduled take the witness stand for nearly three hours.
During the first 75 minutes of his examination-in-chief, the inquiry鈥檚 lawyers will walk Trudeau through a summation of his testimony that he provided weeks earlier.
Then comes 90 minutes of cross-examination, when lawyers representing Conservative and NDP targets of interference, along with counsel for diaspora groups, get their chance to seek answers from a prime minister under oath.
Han Dong, Don Valley North, and the 'two Michaels'
National security expert Wesley Wark, a senior fellow with the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), says he will be paying attention to how the prime minister answers questions about former Liberal MP Han Dong鈥檚 nomination process in the riding of Don Valley North in 2019.
鈥淲hy did the prime minister allow Dong to stand? And why has the prime minister not allowed him to return to caucus?鈥
As was discussed during prior testimony, the Liberal party allows people as young as 14 years old to become members, and that Canadian citizenship is not required to vote in nomination meetings. All that鈥檚 required is proof that a party member lives in the riding.
Dong testified that he encouraged international students from a private high school to get involved in his campaign, and that on the day of his nomination vote in September 2019, a busload of international students arrived to cast ballots. Dong said he didn鈥檛 know who organized the students and paid for their bus.
At the inquiry on Tuesday, the Liberal party鈥檚 national campaign director for the 2019 election said he briefed the prime minister about the 鈥渋rregularities鈥 surrounding Dong鈥檚 nomination, but Jeremy Broadhurst said he did not recommend any action.
鈥淏ased on what I thought should be an extremely high bar for overturning a democratic result I recommended to the prime minister that no action be taken,鈥 Broadhurst said.
Additionally, Wark said he is also anticipating questions to be directed at Trudeau about Dong鈥檚 alleged conversation with a senior Chinese consulate official regarding delaying the release of the "two Michaels" 鈥 Spavor and Kovrig.
Deputy Chief of Staff in the Prime Minister鈥檚 Office Brian Clow testified on Tuesday that he saw a more fulsome intelligence report about the alleged conversation. That report, he said, revealed details that could help Han Dong clear his name, but Clow testified that he was told the information couldn鈥檛 be declassified.
Artur Wilczynksi is a former director general of intelligence operations at the Communications Security Establishment. He says he鈥檚 not surprised that the PMO was advised against releasing intelligence which could have painted Dong in a different light.
The first leak may have been wrong, and a later release to correct the record could lead to more trouble, he said.
鈥淚f there was an intent to obfuscate in the original report by the adversary, by releasing that document would allow the adversary to understand how that information was collected and who it went to,鈥 said Wilczynksi.
34 CSIS briefings about PRC clandestine activity
A top-secret document prepared in February 2023 for the Prime Minister鈥檚 Office after intelligence leaks to media made headlines for months revealed that there were 34 CSIS briefings on Chinese interference between June 2018 and December 2022.
The document asserted that the 鈥(People's Republic of China) clandestinely and deceptively interfered in both the 2019 and 2021 elections.鈥
In both cases, the document stated that the foreign interference was 鈥減ragmatic and focused primarily on supporting those viewed to be either 鈥減ro-PRC鈥 or 鈥渘eutral on issues of interest to the PRC government.鈥
Among those briefed on different occasions were cabinet ministers, top government officials and senior election officials.
It鈥檚 expected that the prime minister will also be asked what he knew about the extent of Beijing鈥檚 interference in ridings with large numbers of Chinese immigrants during the 2021 election. Former Conservative leader Erin O鈥橳oole said on the witness stand that up to nine ridings where the party鈥檚 internal polling projected Conservative wins resulted in losses that could have been impacted by foreign interference.
Lawyers are expected to hone in on the B.C. riding of Steveston-Richmond East, where Conservative candidate Kenny Chui was seeking re-election.
Chui testified he was a victim of a disinformation campaign that painted him as a 鈥渞ace traitor鈥 on the Chinese social media app WeChat. Intelligence reports reveal that officials thought the damaging portrayal of Chui may have been amplified in ethnic media funded by the People鈥檚 Republic of China, but could not say for certain that there was a PRC directive to do so.
During this inquiry, new information has clarified and bolstered previous media leaks. Despite strong intelligence of Chinese meddling, the critical election incident public protocol was not triggered to warn the public of threats to election integrity in 2019 or 2021. The RCMP says no complaints about foreign interference were passed on to the Mounties during those elections.
In light of this, Wilcyznksi says, the most important question the prime minister should be asked is: what has he done since finding out?
鈥淎fter (Trudeau) heard all this information in his briefings about foreign interference - did he ask for change? If he didn鈥檛 then why not?鈥
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government鈥檚 three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party鈥檚 popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn鈥檛 be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Conservatives call on Elon Musk to step in after Liberals provide loan to Ottawa-based satellite operator
A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
Sunken superyacht believed to contain watertight safes with sensitive intelligence data
Specialist divers surveying the wreckage of the US$40 million superyacht that sank off Sicily in August, killing seven people including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, have asked for heightened security to guard the vessel, over concerns that sensitive data locked in its safes may interest foreign governments, multiple sources told CNN.
Myths busted and lessons learned: John Vennavally-Rao on his surgery to reverse his ostomy
Twenty-seven year 麻豆影视 reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao shares his story of what it was like to have an ostomy bag as part of his health-care battle. 'I鈥檓 grateful for what it did to extend my life,' he writes in a personal column for CTVNews.ca.
The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.
A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.
Heavy metal exposure could increase cardiovascular disease risk, study finds
A new study is adding to emerging research showing that exposure to metals such as cadmium, uranium and copper may also be associated with the leading cause of death worldwide, cardiovascular disease.
Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Mont茅r茅gie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.
Hezbollah targets base near Haifa after Israeli strike in Beirut killed 37, including top commander
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah announced that it fired a barrage of missiles at a military base deep inside Israel early Sunday following an Israeli airstrike more than a day earlier that killed at least 37 people, including one of the militant group鈥檚 senior leaders as well as women and children.
A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.