Liberal leadership candidate Ruby Dhalla being questioned by party days before high-stakes debate

According to media reports, the Liberal Party is questioning leadership candidate Ruby Dhalla over possible interference from India.

Ahead of two Liberal leadership debates next week, candidate Ruby Dhalla is being questioned by the party.

Dhalla, a former Liberal MP who previously served between 2004 to 2011 until she was defeated in the 2011 election, is one of a handful of leadership hopefuls hoping to pick up the mantel after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he would resign.

A spokesperson for Dhalla’s campaign confirmed she is being questioned, but did not provide specifics on why she is under further scrutiny.

Her party later confirmed that all requested information has been provided to the party.

“As an outsider ready to bring real change to the Liberal Party & fight for Canadians I am looking forward to the debates in Montreal to talk about my vision for delivering real solutions for Canadians,” Dhalla said in a statement to CTV News on Thursday.

Thursday morning, the Globe and Mail reported Dhalla was facing questions about possible Indian interference.

In a statement to CTV News on Thursday, the party’s director of communications Parker Lund said, “While we do not comment on internal party reviews, we can confirm that none of the questions put to Dr. Dhalla’s campaign relate to interference by a foreign government.”

Dhalla pushed back against the foreign interference allegations in a post on X.

“Our Parliament and our political leadership must reflect the diversity of our country,” Dhalla wrote. “As the first woman of colour to run for Prime Minister in the history of Canada, I will not allow every person of colour or Canadian from a multicultural community to be painted with the brush of foreign interference.”

When asked by reporters on Thursday about whether he was aware of any foreign interference allegations in relation to Dhalla’s campaign, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty said “no.”

“I really have no insight or comment on that. That’s a question for the Liberal Party of Canada,” McGuinty said.

The party will hold two debates next week, in French on Feb. 24, and in English on Feb. 25, both in Montreal.

Last week, Dhalla said she still plans to attend next week’s French debate, despite the Liberal party denying her request to have an interpreter.

Asked on Thursday whether the next Liberal leader should be fluently bilingual, Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge said she thinks “it’s really important.”

“I think that the next prime minister needs to reflect the reality that in Canada, we have two official languages, French and English, and the next leader and prime minister needs to be able to address the French population in French,” St-Onge said.

The next Liberal leader will be selected on March 9.