SAINT-HYACINTHE, Que. — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he hopes he'll be able to announce a decision about a public inquiry on foreign interference in the coming weeks, but he is accusing the Conservatives of stalling the process.
Trudeau told reporters that cross-party agreement is needed on the structure of the inquiry and who is best suited to lead it.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said his party will only co-operate on those details after Trudeau confirms an inquiry will go ahead.
Trudeau said negotiations that began in June with the Bloc Québécois and the NDP about a possible inquiry were going well but the Conservatives were blocking the needed consensus.
Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer said in a statement Wednesday that the prime minister's comments were "unequivocally false."
He said all parties have met multiple times a week for nearly the last month in an effort to "agree on terms" for a public inquiry.
"We have been working in good faith and in a collaborative way with the other parties and believe we are close to an agreement on terms," the statement said.
"It is the Liberal government that has constantly pushed back on our proposals and it is the Liberal government who has stopped answering the phone and responding to emails this week."
In March, Trudeau delegated former governor general David Johnston to investigate allegations that the Chinese government attempted to interfere in the last two federal elections and to decide whether a public inquiry should be called.
Johnston, who recommended against an inquiry, resigned in early June amid allegations from opposition parties that he was too close to Trudeau to be objective.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2023.
The Canadian Press