Conservative MP Michael Chong cleared to question witnesses at upcoming foreign interference inquiry

Conservative MP Michael Chong will have full standing at the upcoming public inquiry into foreign election interference — meaning he'll have the right to ask questions of witnesses.

The foreign affairs critic has been vocal about his first-hand experience as the target of an alleged political campaign by China.

Earlier this year, Chong said he had learned from the Globe and Mail that the Chinese government had targeted him and his relatives in Hong Kong in the lead-up to the 2021 election in response to his stance against against Canada's use of Huawei technology and Beijing's treatment of Uyghurs.

He's also been the target of a co-ordinated smear campaign on social media that Global Affairs Canada says is likely backed by China.

In a decision released Thursday, Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue, who was chosen by the federal government to lead the inquiry, wrote that Chong has a direct interest in the commission's work and can make a "necessary contribution."

"Mr. Chong is a sitting member of Parliament and there have been allegations that the Government of Canada failed to alert him of his status as a target of foreign interference, and that this represents a failure on the part of the government," wrote Hogue.

"Without making any comment about whether this criticism is or is not fair, in my view Mr. Chong has a personal and direct interest in any conclusions I may eventually arrive at with respect to the adequacy of the Government's actions related to him."

She granted Chong standing in both the fact-finding and policy phases of the inquiry.

Conservatives sought party status 

The commission received 55 applications for standing and granted 22 individuals and groups full "party standing" or "intervener standing" status.

According to the commission's website, those with standing are eligible to receive evidence in advance, may have the right to propose and question witnesses "on matters relevant to the basis upon which standing was granted," and may make submissions to Hogue.

The NDP and the Conservative Party requested full party standing but were instead granted a more limited role as interveners.

The Conservatives swiftly complained.

"Political parties are not bit players in this story; they are central to the issues at hand," Sebastian Skamski, director of media relations for the Opposition Leader's Office, told the Globe and Mail in the days after Hogue's ruling. 

"Conservative candidates and MPs have been specifically targeted by Beijing's efforts to influence our elections and reports from the media have suggested that it was the explicit strategy of the CCP to target the Conservative Party and benefit Liberals."

Hogue said in her rulings she was careful in her decisions and will "not permit the inquiry to become a platform for partisan debate."

Former Liberal MP (now Independent) Han Dong and former Conservative MP and party leader Erin O'Toole were also granted some form of standing.

The public inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections will begin hearings in January. It will focus first on whether China, Russia or other foreign actors tried to influence the 2019 and 2021 federal elections and how intelligence flowed to decision-makers in the context of the past two elections.

The inquiry will then tackle the question of whether the federal government has the capacity to detect and counter foreign interference.

Hogue pledged to make public as much information as possible "within the bounds of the law and without jeopardizing national security."

The inquiry's first report is due by the end of February and a final report is due at the end of 2024.