The independent public inquiry committee hearings on foreign interference begin on January 29 in Ottawa. The purpose of this week's hearings is to study what must remain confidential to protect national security.

Judge Marie-Josée Houle, who presides over the process, must listen to witness testimonies as well as recognized experts.

Among those who testified this week are Pierre Trudel, a professor at the University of Montreal, and Richard Fadden, the former director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, CSIS.

Federal Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc and current head of the CIA, David Feignault, are also expected to attend.

These hearings are preliminary in that they will prepare for the upcoming public hearings during which the committee will study the substantive issues arising from its mandate, according to Commissioner Houle in a press release in December.

The preliminary hearings are scheduled to last about five days, according to the planned schedule.

Experts will assist the committee and the public in understanding the risks that may arise from disclosing classified information, as well as the practices that can be adopted to allow for the greatest possible disclosure of information given legal and factual constraints.

The issue of foreign interference in Canada's internal affairs has dominated headlines in the country since November 2022 with the release of a series of articles on the Global television network and in the Toronto newspaper The Globe and Mail.

Those reports also covered activities carried out by Beijing to influence the results of the Canadian general elections of 2019 and 2021.

Sources indicated that Justin Trudeau's government took no action despite advice received from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

For example, Global reported, citing unnamed sources within the intelligence community, that the Prime Minister had been warned of a significant alleged effort by China to interfere in the 2019 election campaign. As a result, at least 11 candidates may have received funds.