Commission on Foreign Interference releases schedule and witnesses for first week of public hearings

OTTAWA, ON, Jan. 23, 2024 /CNW/ - The Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions has released its witness list for the National Security Confidentiality public hearings that begin on January 29, 2024.

The hearings, which will last five days, will identify the challenges, limitations and potential adverse impacts associated with the disclosure of classified national security information and intelligence to the public.

"This is one of the biggest challenges that the Commission will face," said Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue. "I look forward to hearing from experts, academics and practitioners in the field of national security to help us identify strategies that will allow us to share as much information with Canadians as possible through our hearings and reports, even though much of the information that we receive will originate from classified documents and sources," she said.

"Participants to the Commission will also have an opportunity to suggest ideas on how to maximize transparency in the face of the limitations that we face."

The parameters for the first week of hearings are set out in clause (a)(i)(D) of the Commission's Terms of Reference.

Day 1 (January 29): The first day of the hearings will begin with an opening statement by the Commissioner and will include introductions by the Participants and presentations by Commission Counsel.

Day 2 (January 30):  Expert Panel: Balancing National Security and the Public Interest

• Presentations by and discussions with Professors Pierre Trudel (Université de Montréal), Michael Nesbitt (University of Calgary) and Leah West (Carleton University).

Day 3 (January 31):   Expert Panel: National Security Confidentiality: Perspectives from Experience 

• Presentations by and discussions with former CSIS Director Richard Fadden and former CSIS Assistant Director Alan Jones

Day 4: Witnesses (February 1)

• David Vigneault, Director, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
• Alia Tayyeb, Deputy Chief of Signals Intelligence, Communications Security Establishment Canada
• Dan Rogers, Deputy National Security and Intelligence Advisor, Privy Council Office

Day 5: Witness and submissions (February 2)

• Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
• Closing Submissions of Participants

The Commission will hold a second set of hearings in March to examine and assess interference by China, Russia and other foreign states or non-state actors and other issues described in clauses (a)(i)(A &B) of the Commission's Terms of Reference.

The Government of Canada created the Foreign Interference Commission to respond to concerns about foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. The Commission will also examine the flow of information within the federal government in relation to these issues, evaluate the actions taken in response, assess the federal government's capacity to detect, deter, and counter foreign interference, and make recommendations on these issues. The Commission will complete an interim report due by May 3, 2024, and deliver its final report by December 31, 2024.

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): @PIFIEPIE

SOURCE Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference

Michael Tansey, Sr. Communications Advisor, Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions, [phone], [email protected], www.ForeignInterferenceCommission.ca