Conservatives, Bloc meet to discuss next steps on foreign interference

Two opposition party leaders have now met to discuss the next steps for how the Liberal government should tackle the issue of foreign interference.

Two opposition party leaders have now met to discuss the next steps for how the Liberal government should tackle the issue of foreign interference.

A spokesman for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed he met Tuesday with Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet. A spokesperson for the Bloc said it was Poilievre’s office that reached out for the meeting, the details of which have not been divulged.

Their meeting comes after former governor general David Johnston informed the prime minister last Friday he was resigning as special rapporteur on the matter, citing a hyper-partisan environment that was eroding trust in the process.

Johnston presented a report last month recommending against a public inquiry, citing the difficulty of having one when national security information must be kept secret.

He did, however, say a public process of some kind was necessary and had planned to hold a series of hearings over the summer to further investigate what foreign interference looks like.

Johnston’s resignation followed weeks of intense scrutiny from opposition MPs and calls for him to step aside.

During that time, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau deferred to his special rapporteur on what should be done about allegations that China meddled in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

Now the ball is back in the Liberal government’s court.