Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions: findings and what happened next
Foreign interference in Canada's 2019 and 2021 federal elections and in its democratic institutions.
- Country
- Canada
- Type
- public inquiry
- Established
- 7 September 2023
- Chaired by
- Marie-Josée Hogue
- Report published
- 28 January 2025
- Recommendations
- 51
Implementation, as of 29 January 2025The government said in January 2025 that it wanted to act on some recommendations soon. No government progress report on the 51 recommendations was identified in the sources reviewed.
What the inquiry found
- The commissioner found that Canada's democratic institutions "have held up well and remained robust" and, according to reporting, found no evidence of traitors in Parliament.4,2,1
- The commission found that foreign interference is becoming more frequent and its methods are changing, but that institutions have proven resilient.4,3
- The commission found that the government sometimes acted slowly, that coordination was less than optimal and that it "has been a poor communicator" about the interference it detected.4,3
Key recommendations
- The final report made 51 recommendations, several of which the commission said could be implemented before the next federal election without legislative change.4
- The commission recommended that the government give Parliament a progress update on the recommendations within a year, and said several could be implemented before the next federal election.3
What happened next
- Public Safety Minister David McGuinty said he hoped MPs from all parties would work together to act quickly on some of the recommendations, some of which would require legislation.5
Read the report: foreigninterferencecommission.ca/
Sources
- Foreign Interference Commission, Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference (28 January 2025)
- CTV News, No evidence of traitors, takeaways from the foreign interference inquiry's final report (28 January 2025)
- Carters Professional Corporation, Final Report on Foreign Interference in Canadian Democracy Released (30 January 2025)
- Foreign Interference Commission, Commission releases final report on foreign interference (28 January 2025)
- CTV News, Not a partisan issue, minister calls on other parties to help pass foreign interference inquiry recommendations ahead of next election (29 January 2025)