Rosenberg: Officials split on when to report interference allegations
Ottawa –
The man who wrote a report that recommended a lower threshold for when Canadians should be notified of foreign interference says there is no consensus about that threshold.
Former civil servant Morris Rosenberg urged further study on lowering the bar so that the public would be more informed about the potential dangers.
The level of disclosure provided by security officials about election interference is under greater scrutiny following recent media reports detailing alleged interference by China in the 2019 and 2021 elections.
Rosenberg says there is no consensus among politicians or security officials about how much information should be made public, because even informing people about a potential threat can influence election results.
They say it is also difficult for security officials to trace where the interference is coming from and whether foreign governments are using domestic proxies.
Rosenberg’s report examined the work of a panel of civil servants who oversaw the most recent vote, and found that there was no interference that threatened the ability to hold a free and fair election.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on March 3, 2023.
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