Opposition parties affirm call for interference inquiry, amid questions over MP Han Dong

Amid renewed questions over the pervasiveness of alleged interference by China in Canadian elections and affairs broadly, opposition MPs voted Thursday afternoon to affirm a parliamentary committee's call for the federal government to strike a public inquiry.

Amid renewed questions over the pervasiveness of alleged interference by China in Canadian elections and affairs broadly, opposition MPs voted Thursday afternoon to affirm a parliamentary committee's call for the federal government to strike a public inquiry.

The NDP forced a vote in the House of Commons on what's called a "concurrence motion," essentially seeing the House as a whole double down on the Procedure and House Affairs Committee's call for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to "launch a national public inquiry into allegations of foreign interference in Canada's democratic system." 

The vote passed 172 to 149, with MPs from the NDP, Conservative, Bloc Quebecois and Green voting in favour, and Liberal MPs voting against.

Beyond heaping new pressure on Trudeau to supersede his prescribed late May timeline for special rapporteur David Johnston to advise whether an inquiry is needed, the vote is not binding. 

The report the majority of MPs voted in favour of called for the inquiry to include but not be limited to foreign interference allegations during elections, and to look at foreign governments beyond China.

It also outlined that the inquiry should be granted necessary powers to compel witnesses and secret documents, investigate abuse of diaspora groups by hostile foreign governments, and that the person selected to head the probe be picked by all parties.

"It has become very clear now with allegations coming out on a daily basis that are continuing to erode peoples' confidence in our democracy, that we need a public inquiry," said NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh during a pre-question period scrum.