By Canadian Press

Foreign interference talks: Parties trade jabs for bipartisan chats from the cottage

Aug 24, 2023 | 12:05 PM

OTTAWA — House leaders for the main federal parties have been working together this summer to make a public inquiry on foreign interference happen, as they put aside partisan jabs that dominated Parliament for much of the year. 

Alex Marland, head of the political science department at Memorial University, says the shift signals that political leaders are trying to earnestly make progress on an inquiry. 

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc is leading the negotiations, saying they are taking place throughout the summer even when House leaders are on holidays or he is at the cottage.

Earlier this week Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre reiterated that his party will remain open to negotiating terms of reference for an inquiry and who will lead it, as long as the process remains non-partisan.

NDP House leader Peter Julian praised the process, saying it has prompted the Liberal government to support the idea of a public inquiry to deal with attempted foreign interference in Canada’s elections. 

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LeBlanc says someone must be chosen to lead the inquiry before any public announcements come.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2023. 

The Canadian Press