Chief elections officer says he was warned of possible foreign interference in Don Valley North nomination
CBC
Canada's chief electoral officer said Thursday he was warned by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in 2019 of possible foreign interference in a Don Valley North nomination contest — but he doesn't have the power to intervene at that level.
While Stéphane Perrault told the foreign interference inquiry he has confidence in the integrity of the last two general elections as far as his mandate is concerned, questions about party nomination contests for candidates dominated the morning session.
Perrault — whose job is to ensure Canadians can exercise their democratic rights to vote and run as candidates — was testifying before an inquiry probing allegations that China and other nations meddled in the 2019 and 2021 elections.
One of those allegations centred on the Toronto-area riding of Don Valley North, represented by MP Han Dong, who now sits as an Independent after leaving the Liberal caucus last year.
A Global News story, citing anonymous sources, alleged Dong was supported by Beijing in the 2019 Liberal nomination race and was "a witting affiliate" in China's election interference networks. Dong denies those allegations.
The story cited sources who claim Beijing transported international students with fake addresses to the nomination meeting to vote for a specific candidate.
Questioned by commission lawyer Daniel Sheppard, Perrault said CSIS told him in 2019 about possible foreign interference related to a nomination period.
WATCH | Elections Canada chief says he has 'no authority' to intervene if voters are bused in for nominations
"I understand that at the point in time when you received that information you concluded that no action could be taken then, in part because participation in a nomination contest is not regulated in the same way as an election," said Sheppard.
"That is correct," said Perrault.
Perrault did not say which parties or candidates were cited by CSIS. He said he couldn't get into details about what the intelligence agency told him in a public setting.
He spoke to commission lawyers earlier this month behind closed doors.
In a summary of that classified interview, shared with reporters after Perrault's testimony, the chief electoral officer pointed out that no complaints had been lodged by other participants in that nomination contest.
Over more than two hours of testimony before the foreign interference inquiry, Perrault said Elections Canada's mandate is to administer general elections and its role in nomination contests is limited to overseeing candidate registration and financing.
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