Intelligence task force to monitor all future byelections for foreign interference

The Liberal government says measures to monitor and assess foreign interference threats will be part of all future federal byelections, not just general elections.

The Liberal government says measures to monitor and assess foreign interference threats will be part of all future federal byelections, not just general elections.

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force will be watching for signs of meddling in two September byelections, one in Quebec, the other in Manitoba.

The federal body, established in 2019 to protect the electoral process, includes representatives of CSIS, the RCMP, Global Affairs Canada and the Communications Security Establishment, Canada's cyberspy agency.

The SITE task force already has some experience monitoring byelections this year and in 2023.

LeBlanc says the task force will provide intelligence assessments to a committee of deputy ministers.

In turn, the committee will brief and advise ministers responsible for fighting foreign interference and shielding democratic institutions from harm.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2024.