Hon. Daryl Fridhandler: Senator Moreau, in an affidavit filed before an Alberta court, former Prime Minister’s Office security adviser Wesley Wark warned that the Alberta Prosperity Project’s expressed policy of seeking support from and close ties with the United States must be regarded as an open door to U.S. political influence and potential interference. During last week’s First Nations application challenging the constitutionality of the Alberta separatist petition, Court of King’s Bench of Alberta Justice Leonard questioned the province’s lawyer on what concrete steps, if any, the province is taking to investigate or counter foreign interference risks. Given Elections Alberta has no dedicated operations or capacity to investigate foreign interference, can the Government of Canada assure this chamber that the federal Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner will be operational and be responding to those risks with respect to the many Alberta referenda?

Hon. Pierre Moreau (Government Representative in the Senate): The commissioner was here at the Committee of the Whole upon his appointment. He directly answered a question where he said he thinks that he has the budget needed to ensure that he is able to implement the mandate he has, and I am confident that he will very closely monitor the situation concerning any interference in Canada’s sovereignty.

Senator Fridhandler: Let me follow up on the commissioner’s comments. During questioning in the Senate, when asked when his office would be operational, Commissioner Boegman responded, “That’s not a question that I have a clear answer to.”

Does the government believe his office will be ready in time to protect Canadians from a foreign interference threat given the commissioner’s office status? Or perhaps there are other security-focused agencies, such as the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the RCMP, who will lead in addressing foreign interference? Albertans and Canadians deserve to be reassured that their federal government is working to protect the integrity of their democratic processes from outside forces —

The Hon. the Speaker: Thank you, senator.

Senator Moreau: The government is committed to ensuring that the commissioner will have the means to ensure that he is able to fulfill the mandate he is given by the law.