Foreign interference inquiry to begin public hearings in early 2024: Commissioner

Justice Marie-Josee Hogue, the commissioner of the public inquiry into foreign interference, says her work is now underway and hearings will be held next year.

A press release from the public inquiry says it will first focus on allegations of interference by China, Russia and other foreign actors, and any impact that might have had in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

The inquiry is also aiming to take a look at how the flow of information within the federal government worked when it came to such allegations, while a second phase will focus on the government's capacity to detect and counter foreign interference writ large.

Public hearings are expected as part of both phases of the project, which the press release says could happen early next year as well as next fall, ahead of a final report deadline in December 2024.

Hogue says she will do her best to strike the ``difficult balance'' between transparency and the need to protect Canada's national security.

Hogue says she expects to provide more details about the process when an inquiry website is launched on Nov. 10, along with a call for applications from people and groups who are interested in joining the process.