The federal government plans to warn foreign embassies not to interfere in the upcoming elections

The federal government is planning to hold a meeting of foreign lawyers next month to warn them not to interfere in the upcoming elections.

Testifying before an inquiry into foreign interference in Canada, David Morrison, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, said his department is preparing for the upcoming election and wants to make sure foreign diplomats know where Canada draws the line between influence efforts and sedition. attempts to disrupt.

“I think we should, and we will be very clear with the foreign missions here in the city and their officials around the country about what we consider to be acceptable diplomatic activity and where we draw the line,” Morrison told the inquiry.

While it is a strategist’s job to influence people, Morrison says, it crosses the line into disruption if the influence is coercive, covert or subtle.

Morrison also told the inquiry that foreign intelligence-driven interference was the “biggest threat” he expected to see in the upcoming election.

Members of Parliament should learn more about how foreign politicians work and how to recognize when officials’ behavior crosses the line, Morrison said.

He said that when he was appointed as the acting national security adviser, he was asked to inform the Cabinet ministers after the 2021 election and to warn them that there may be an increase in the efforts of foreign countries to attack them through embassies.

The foreign interference investigation, led by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, was launched following media reports that accused China of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

In his first report, made public in May, Hogue found that while there may have been foreign interference in a small number of ridings, he concluded that it did not affect the overall results of the election.

On Monday, the inquiry is expected to hear from Canadian heritage officials and Privy Council security and intelligence officials.