‘Enhanced’ measures against foreign interference coming for Toronto MP byelection

Ottawa said the June 24 vote in the riding of Toronto-St. Paul's will be subject to measures first brought in last year to protect byelections from possible meddling and influence.

An upcoming federal byelection in the city of Toronto will be subject to “enhanced monitoring” for potential foreign interference, the government announced Tuesday.

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the June 24 vote in the riding of Toronto-St. Paul’s will be subject to measures first brought in last year to protect byelections from possible meddling and influence.

Under the measures, the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force will provide “enhanced monitoring and assessing of foreign interference threats during the byelection period,” LeBlanc said in a statement.

The assessments will be provided to a new deputy minister committee on intelligence response, whose members will “stand ready to brief and advise ministers with mandates to combat foreign interference and protect Canada’s democratic institutions.”

“Lines of communications will also be opened with designated representatives of political parties to ensure engagement should it become necessary over the course of the byelection period,” the statement says.

The SITE task force will then produce a classified and unclassified report with its assessment of “any attempts at foreign interference” during the vote.

“The classified report will be made available to the Prime Minister, relevant ministers, as well as to the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, and identified representatives of the parties with appropriate security clearances,” LeBlanc said in the statement.

Longtime Liberal MP and cabinet member Carolyn Bennett announced last year she was stepping down from her Toronto-St. Paul’s riding after 27 years. She has since been appointed Canada’s ambassador to Denmark.