Spy agency informed electoral chief about possible meddling, investigation finds

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OTTAWA – Chief electoral officer Stéphane Perrault says he was informed by Canada’s spy agency during the 2019 general election about possible foreign meddling in a political nomination race.

A document presented Thursday to a commission of inquiry into foreign interference says Perrault decided at the time that no action could be taken on the issue in the Don Valley North area of ​​Toronto.

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As director of Elections Canada, Perrault is responsible for ensuring that Canadians can exercise their democratic rights to vote and run for office.

The document, a summary of the commission’s classified interview with Perrault, says he noted that participation in a nomination contest is not regulated in the same way as an election.

Perrault also noted that no other participants in the nomination contest had filed any complaints.

A 2023 media report alleged that China interfered with Han Dong’s nomination as the Liberal candidate in Don Valley North in 2019.

At Thursday’s inquiry, Perrault was asked whether the matter brought to him by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service involved the Liberal Party nomination race.

Perrault said he was not authorized to go beyond what was stated in the document.

In the interview with the commission, he said that after the 2019 elections, an audit of the nomination contest report was carried out as part of the normal process.

The file was referred to the Office of the Commissioner of Elections of Canada, which conducts investigations, for reasons apparently unrelated to the allegation of interference, such as accuracy, completeness or failure to meet filing deadlines.

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A heavily redacted document filed Thursday said CSIS spoke with the commissioner’s office in 2019 about allegations of wrongdoing at Don Valley North.

The investigative hearings delve into the alleged interference of China, India, Russia and others in the 2019 and 2021 general elections.

Overall, Perrault told the inquiry that he is confident in the integrity of the last two elections regarding his mandate.

In his report last May, David Johnston, special rapporteur appointed by the government to investigate possible foreign meddling, said irregularities were noted in Dong’s 2019 nomination.

Johnston said there were “well-founded suspicions” that the irregularities were linked to the Chinese consulate in Toronto, with whom Dong had a relationship.

However, Johnston found no evidence that Dong was aware of the irregularities or the consulate’s possible involvement in his nomination.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was informed about the irregularities, although no specific recommendation was provided, Johnston added. “He concluded that there was no basis to displace Mr. Dong as the Don Valley North candidate. “This was not an unreasonable conclusion based on the intelligence available to the Prime Minister at the time.”

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During his testimony Thursday, Perrault said he agreed with the idea that a person who wants to vote in a political party nomination contest should first be required to purchase a membership in the party using a payment source with based in Canada, such as a bank account or credit card.

A report submitted alongside the investigation by the Office of the Commissioner of Elections of Canada says the office received 201 complaints alleging foreign interference in the 2019 election, including 52 redirected by Elections Canada.

During the 2021 election, the office received 22 complaints alleging foreign meddling, including six submitted by Elections Canada.

While there have been some investigations, the office has not brought charges or any other formal action against foreign individuals or organizations related to foreign meddling in the last two elections.

In the fall of 2022, in response to media reports, the office received more complaints alleging interference in both elections, according to the report. A review is underway to determine whether there is “tangible evidence” of a breach of the Canada Elections Act.

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Mylene Gigou, the office’s senior director of law enforcement, told the investigation that from 2018 until this year, CSIS had provided briefings and the opportunity to review material about threats to the election.

“None of the information I received was specifically actionable in an investigation, and the information that was shared was for intelligence purposes,” he said.

The inquiry, led by Quebec Judge Marie-Josee Hogue, expects to hear evidence from more than 40 people, including Trudeau, members of his cabinet and representatives of political parties.

The initial report of the commission’s conclusions is due May 3.

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