Majority of Canadians Want Formal Inquiry Into Foreign Interference: Survey

As Special Rapporteur David Johnston persists in holding public hearings on allegations of foreign interference in Canadian politics, a new survey shows a majority of Canadians are more supportive of a formal inquiry. Nine in 10 respondents also showed support for establishing a foreign agent registry for individuals working on behalf of foreign entities. The Nanos Research survey, published on June 8, gauged the opinions of 1,096 adult Canadians on their views of Beijing’s interference in Canadian elections and Johnson’s May 23 report in which he did not recommend a public inquiry. The survey found that 59 percent of Canadians said they would prefer having a formal public inquiry headed by a judge with full subpoena powers to probe into foreign interference. A quarter of respondents said they would like the public hearings to “shine more light on the problem of foreign interference and the threat it poses.” Asked how significant foreign interference is to Canadian democracy, 56 percent of respondents found it a major threat, while 33 percent saw it as minor. Just 4 percent believed that foreign interference is no threat at all. Nine in 10 Canadians said they support (72 percent) or somewhat support (19 percent) creating a foreign agent registry, which would require those working on behalf of a foreign state to disclose their ties to that government. There was also strong support for punishing those guilty of foreign interference in Canada. Almost 90 percent of respondents said that a criminal charge and jail time is the most appropriate punishment for perpetrators. Less than one in ten (7 percent) of Canadians said a fine and a warning would be appropriate. Another 7 percent were unsure of the proper punishment, while less than 1 percent said nothing should be done. David Johnston, Independent Special Rapporteur on Foreign Interference, appears as a witness at the Procedure and House Affairs Committee on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 6, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick) Special Rapporteur Johnston has faced widespread criticism for rejecting a public inquiry, with MPs voting last week in favour of a motion demanding his resignation as special rapporteur. In light of the public outcry, the survey also gauged Canadians’ view of Johnston’s credibility. Less than four in 10 (38 percent) saw Johnston as credible in terms of expressing opinions on foreign interference, while 30 percent said he was not credible. The survey came roughly two weeks after Johnston published his first report on foreign interference. The former governor general was appointed to the role as special rapporteur after a series of media reports alleged that Beijing had meddled in Canada’s 2019 and 2021 federal elections. The reports included a November 2022 Global News article alleging that Beijing provided funding to a network of at least 11 Toronto-area candidates running in the 2019 election. A series of reports from The Globe and Mail published in February cited leaked documents from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), alleging how Beijing schemed to interfere in Canada’s 2021 federal election. The media outlet also reported in March on how the Chinese consulate in Vancouver allegedly interfered in the 2022 municipal election using proxies in diaspora community groups and grooming certain candidates to run in the race. The Nanos survey was commissioned by CTV News and the Globe and Mail. The survey was conducted between May 31 to June 3, 2023, as part of an omnibus survey. The margin of error for the survey is plus or minus 3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Isaac Teo and Noé Chartier contributed to this report.