Trudeau questions Singh's declaration

PM says Canadians should be wary of any leader who claims their party is unaffected by meddling

- STEPHANIE LEVITZ

An examination by the Hogue inquiry into the alleged complicity of MPs in foreign interference is the best way for Canadians to get answers to the questions swirling around that issue, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday.

But as the controversy continued to roil Ottawa for a second week, Trudeau told CBC's "Power and Politics" that Canadians should also be wary of any political leader who concludes that their party is unaffected as the NDP's Jagmeet Singh suggested last week, after he became the third party leader to have access to an unredacted version of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP)'s latest report.

The committee's June 3 review of six years' worth of intelligence on foreign interference included allegations that certain members of Parliament have been knowing or unknowing participants in efforts by foreign governments to meddle in Canadian affairs. That finding set off accusations of treason in the House of Commons, and demands that the names of those MPs along with what they're alleged to have done and what the government did in response - should be made public.

Singh and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May subsequently received the required security clearances to read the full report. The divergence in their conclusions last week - May pronounced herself relieved while Singh said he was more alarmed fuelled renewed calls for more transparency.