Conservatives Michael Chong and Luc Berthold react to foreign interference inquiry's initial report

Michael Chong, the Conservative critic for foreign affairs, and Luc Berthold, the Conservative deputy House leader, speak with reporters on Parliament Hill following the release of the first report of the public inquiry into foreign interference.
Although Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue finds that interference by foreign actors did not change the results of the 2019 and 2021 elections or undermine the integrity of the electoral system, she says the acts of interference that occurred "are a stain on our electoral process and impacted the process leading up to the actual vote.”
The ongoing commission is examining allegations of foreign interference by China, Russia and other foreign states in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian federal elections. The release of this first report comes following the completion of public hearings in the commission's initial fact-finding phase. Its second and final report is due on December 31, 2024, following a second stage of hearings aimed at assessing the federal government’s capacity to detect, prevent, and respond to foreign interference.
(May 3, 2024)