WORLD

Canadian intel to monitor Liberal Party leadership race

Wednesday, 15 Jan, 2025
The Liberal Party will vote on March 9 to choose its next leader. (Photo courtesy: Parti libéral du Canada)

Ottawa: Canadian intelligence agencies will be keeping an eye on the Liberal Party leadership race after allegations of “foreign interference" by political rivals.
The Liberal Party will vote on March 9 to choose its next leader and, by extension, Canada’s next Prime Minister following Justin Trudeau’s decision to step down.

An election intelligence task force of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) will be monitoring the vote for signs of foreign interference, news18.com reported. The news outlet said, citing sources that the Liberal Party, despite the Foreign Interference Commission, is yet to submit reports and wants permanent residency (PR) holders to vote for them.

These voters are conveniently brought in to elect leaders of political parties, they said. By bringing them, the Liberal Party is trying to sabotage democratic processes by involving those who have no interest in Canada, they added.

Top intelligence sources said foreign interference in Canada’s elections has always been a concern. China’s involvement was quite visible in the 2019 and 2021 polls, they said.

Anita Anand bows out of Canada PM race

Indian-origin Anita Anand has bowed out of Canada's prime ministerial race and announced that she won't seek re-election to parliament either. Transport Minister Anand said she was following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's example and will start her career's next chapter by returning to academia.

Two other prominent politicians, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, have also quit the race to succeed Trudeau who announced last week his decision to resign.

An Abacus poll after Trudeau's announcement showed the opposition Conservative Party with a massive 27 per cent lead, with 47 per cent voter support compared to the Liberal's 20 per cent.