OTTAWA,
ON, May 3, 2024 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable
Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions
and Intergovernmental Affairs, issued the following statement:
"I wish to thank Commissioner Hogue and her team for their work
in drafting the Commission's Initial Report.
The Government of Canada
welcomes its conclusions, which reaffirmed the integrity of the
2019 and 2021 federal elections.
The establishment of the Public Inquiry into Foreign
Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic
Institutions followed extensive consultations with all recognized
parties in the House of Commons. All parties agreed to the Terms of
Reference and the appointment of the Commissioner.
We agree with Commissioner Hogue that upholding Canadians' trust
in our democratic institutions is of the utmost importance, and we
look forward to reviewing the Initial Report as part of our efforts
to further bolster the resilience of our election processes and
democratic institutions.
Democracies around the world are grappling with the threat posed
by foreign interference. Canada
has robust safeguards in place to protect our democracy, and the
Government of Canada continuously
adjusts these measures to meet this longstanding and
continuously evolving threat. The work of the Commission will
support Canada's ability to adapt
its measures in accordance with the evolution of the threat.
Since 2015, several measures have been put in place, including
the Plan to protect Canada's
democracy. Unveiled in 2019, the Plan comprises initiatives such as
the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol (CEIPP), the
Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force,
the Digital Citizen Initiative, the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism and
the Canada Declaration on Election Integrity Online.
The Government has also introduced Bill C-65, An Act to Amend
the Canada Elections Act, which seeks to enact further
protections against foreign interference in Canada's electoral legislation.
We will continue to ensure that Canadians can have confidence in
our democratic institutions."
SOURCE Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and
Intergovernmental Affairs