Justin Trudeau blames Conservatives as talks on launching public inquiry into foreign interference drag on

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Talks on launching an official public inquiry into foreign interference by China are dragging into the dead of summer with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Conservatives trading barbs over who is to blame.

It’s been three and a half weeks since Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc opened the door to a public inquiry in the aftermath of former governor-general David Johnston’s abrupt resignation as special rapporteur on Chinese state interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections. Talks later commenced with opposition parties to discuss the terms of reference and who might lead it.

Mr. Trudeau, however, blamed the Conservatives Wednesday when asked why the government had not yet set up an inquiry – repeating a message he’s delivered more than once in recent weeks. He suggested the Official Opposition was blocking matters from proceeding.

“If we are to have a process to move forward that will work well, with someone credible at the head of the inquiry, we need to make sure that all parties agree on the framework, on the kind of process to be put in place and on the person who will be heading it,” Mr. Trudeau told reporters in French during a visit to the Montérégie region of Quebec.

“We will not be able to move forward with any seriousness if the Conservative Party once again refuses to participate in, or accept the process, we put forward.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called Mr. Trudeau’s comments “unequivocally false” and said his party is ready to accept the proposal that was last on the table. He noted the Liberals had resisted calling a public inquiry for months.

“Since the Liberals finally stopped fighting a public inquiry close to a month ago, we have been engaged with all parties multiple times a week to agree on terms for a public inquiry,” Mr. Poilievre said.

He said the Conservatives have been waiting to resume talks.

“Conservatives are ready to accept the latest proposal for terms of reference that was discussed, but neither Dominic LeBlanc nor his office picked up the phone or answered an e-mail in the five days following the last meeting,” Mr. Poilievre said. “The Prime Minister should stop his baseless attacks and get his minister to answer our calls.”

A guide to foreign interference and China’s suspected influence in Canada

Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer said in an interview that negotiations seemed to be going well – at least up until this past weekend.

“We’ve been engaged in a collaborative and co-operative way and we’ve made serious proposals to improve the framework. We’ve accepted some of the counterproposals,” Mr. Scheer said. “For our part, we felt like we’ve made progress in there.”

He noted the government does not require opposition consent to launch an inquiry and could have done so months ago.

Mr. LeBlanc left Canada for a 10-day business trip to Japan earlier this week. He is attending a Group of Seven meeting of urban development ministers that takes place July 7 to 9. The Globe asked his office to provide an itinerary of the minister’s other activities – besides the three-day meeting – but it did not make one available.

Mr. Scheer said he expected interparty talks on the framework of a public inquiry would continue virtually during Mr. LeBlanc’s Japan trip, but the Conservatives have received no word on future negotiating sessions.

The Conservatives have declined so far in talks to suggest names on who might lead a public inquiry, saying they will do so after the framework is settled.

Mr. Scheer said when parties met last Friday he thought talks would resume this week.

He said the talks have taken longer than he expected, but “we want an inquiry that’s actually going to examine what happened, how our security agencies responded and how they’re equipped.”

Mr. Scheer declined to discuss the substance of the talks, but said “if the Liberals are trying to structure this thing to not look at decisions that were made, or actions that were taken or not taken, then that would obviously not be an optimal way to set up.”

The Globe asked Kelly Ouimet, director of communications for Mr. LeBlanc, when the next talks with opposition parties would take place, why a deal had not yet been reached and to provide his full 10-day travel itinerary in Japan

She would only say that the minister “is in Japan for a G7 ministerial meeting on urban development in Takamatsu and has working meetings scheduled while he is there.”

As for talks, she said Mr. LeBlanc “has had productive and meaningful engagement with his parliamentary colleagues and the conversations continue.”

NDP House Leader Peter Julian, asked about the talks, said his party still wants a full public inquiry, something he said it has called for “since February when these troubling allegations” first emerged.

“We have been working constructively with other opposition parties and engaging in productive discussions about what should happen next. While we haven’t reached a suitable resolution yet, it remains our hope that the government will announce a public inquiry, led by an independent qualified candidate as soon as possible.”

The Bloc did not respond when asked for comment.

The governing Liberals had repeatedly resisted launching an inquiry in recent months despite three votes calling for one in the House of Commons by opposition parties, who hold the majority of seats.

Mr. Trudeau had tapped Mr. Johnston to investigate Chinese government interference in the 2019 and 2021 election campaigns, but he abruptly announced his resignation last month, citing a “highly partisan atmosphere.”

Opposition parties had adopted a motion calling for his resignation, saying in their majority decision that Mr. Johnston was unfit for the job because of his long-standing friendship with the Trudeau family and his connection to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation.

The talks about a public inquiry come after months of reporting on Chinese state foreign interference, including revelations reported in The Globe and Mail that Beijing targeted Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong – attempted intimidation that the MP was never told about. The disclosure of this meddling prompted the Canadian government to expel Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei in May.