Canada's national police force said it was “aware” of extensive intelligence investigating MPs for allegedly collaborating with foreign governments.
this Royal Canadian Mounted Police Two days ago, the federal National Security Commission released a shocking report accusing current federal politicians of “deliberate” involvement in Foreign interference operations.
“The RCMP can confirm that it is conducting investigations into a range of foreign interference in Canada, including in relation to democratic institutions,” the statement sent late Wednesday afternoon read.
The RCMP statement added that they were not aware of all the specific allegations contained in the commission's report.
“The RCMP will not comment on whether it is conducting a criminal investigation into any MPs. The RCMP has spoken publicly about the issue of foreign interference and believes there is a need for greater public attention to this issue.”
Meanwhile, the RCMP said they must exercise “an extreme degree of caution” speaking publicly about ongoing investigations because they “have the potential to damage reputations” or interfere with investigations before the appropriate level of evidence is reached.
On Monday, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Canadian Parliament (NSICOP) made a startling allegation: current federal politicians “knowingly or semi-knowingly” collaborated with foreign governments to interfere in Canadian politics.
“Because Canada has failed to address its long-standing problem of protecting confidential information and methods during judicial proceedings, some activities may be illegal but are unlikely to result in criminal charges,” the report reads.
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The committee noted that the lawmakers were suspected of engaging in a number of activities, including soliciting political support from foreign missions, accepting money or favors from diplomats, and sharing classified information with known foreign intelligence operatives.
The report sent shockwaves through Ottawa's parliamentary district, with opposition parties on Wednesday demanding the government release the names of MPs or senators who intelligence agencies believe have been threatened.
“I can’t believe there is a claim that an MP’s duty is not to a foreign country, but to the Canadian people. Can the prime minister please release the names of these MPs?” asked Conservative MP Michael Chong, who has himself been targeted by the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
The Liberal government rejected those calls on Wednesday, saying it would be irresponsible to release the intelligence information.
“No government, including his, will discuss publicly the specifics of intelligence information,” said Public Safety Secretary Dominic LeBlanc, the administration’s point man on foreign interference.
Part of the problem is how to turn intelligence collected by agencies like the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), which may have varying degrees of certainty, into evidence that the RCMP can collect and use to build a case.
Another problem is revealing in a court case how the intelligence was gathered, which could discredit the source or reveal sensitive methods used to gather the information.
So while CSIS may have collected intelligence on lawmakers, it may not have risen to the level of criminal evidence, or the government may not want to reveal in open court how the intelligence was collected.
The RCMP said Wednesday that it was an “active” participant in the NSICOP review “and provided detailed information about the RCMP's knowledge and understanding of the threat of foreign interference.”
Police said they did not initially investigate suspected foreign interference in the last two elections, but that changed “after receiving further information”.
“It would not be appropriate to discuss any specific incidents at this time, however, foreign interference is one of the RCMP's top priorities under its federal policing mandate,” the statement read.
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