As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insists that despite months of delay, his government is "moving forward" with a foreign interference inquiry, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is accusing him of standing in the way.
On Monday, asked by reporters whether the delay in what months ago seemed an imminent announcement of a public inquiry into foreign meddling, was because the Liberals couldn't lock in someone to lead the process, Trudeau said "no."
"We continue to work very closely with all opposition parties on making sure that the terms of reference, the person who will be leading it, and the work that is done, is in the best interests of all Canadians… without the kind of partisan toxicity we saw during the fall," Trudeau said in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
"We know that a robust inquiry into foreign interference of all different types is really important for democracy, and that's why we're moving forward with that."
Asked in a later press conference in Ottawa to comment on Trudeau saying parties are still working together, and what he thinks the hold up is, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre placed the blame squarely on Trudeau.
"We gave them names, we gave them a mandate, and we've been waiting ever since. The holdup is Justin Trudeau. Only Justin Trudeau has the authority to call a public inquiry. As leader of the opposition, I have no authority under the Inquiries Act. I've made my suggestions, and I'm now waiting for him," he said.
Opposition MPs have been calling for a full public inquiry into foreign interference for several months, amid heightened attention on alleged attempts by China to meddle in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.
The spring decision by former special rapporteur David Johnston not to recommend one drew swift criticism, but on the heels of his resignation, calls for an inquiry were renewed.
With the Liberals appearing to show new openness to the idea at that time, the minister responsible for the democratic institutions file, Dominic LeBlanc, began engaging in negotiations with the other parties over how to proceed.
There appeared to be momentum leading towards a pending announcement of a potential inquiry, or other unspecified new process, when the House of Commons adjourned for the summer on June 22.
But, in the months since, there has been little update on whether it will be a full public inquiry after all, who could lead this initiative, what kind of timeline would be set for this investigation of the issue, and whether the probe would be expanded beyond China to consider other countries' interference efforts.
As parties have spent the summer seemingly still discussing next steps, a former RCMP officer has been charged with foreign interference-related offences for allegedly helping China identify and intimidate an individual, and a Canadian monitoring system has detected a likely China-backed "information operation" targeting Conservative MP Michael Chong.
"It seems to me, Trudeau is fine to allow the foreign influence to continue, as long as it benefits him," Poilievre said, before going on to repeat old attack lines about Trudeau's decade-old comments about his admiration for China's "basic dictatorship."
Poilievre and Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet have both refused to pursue the requisite security clearance to read a confidential annex of former special rapporteur Johnston's report.
While NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May have gone down that path, after her classified briefing last week, May expressed dismay at the lack of depth to the documents she was able to access, reinvigorating her party's calls for an inquiry.
Throughout the negotiations aimed at striking a further investigation of some form, Trudeau has been insistent that the federal government wouldn't be announcing any next steps until the Liberals secured "full buy-in" from the opposition parties, to avoid the process devolving into heavy partisanship as it did under Johnston.
When the prime minister unveiled his massive cabinet reassignments last month, he announced that alongside changes to the makeup of current cabinet committees, the federal government would be striking a new "National Security Council" and announcing its membership "in the coming weeks."
Beyond sharing that this body—separate from a public inquiry— will be in charge of "overseeing" and setting the "strategic direction" for emerging challenges Canada is facing on this front, little is known about its objectives, though more could be revealed by the time Trudeau wraps his three-day cabinet retreat.
