(OTTAWA) The Conservative Party claims that at least eight of its candidates have bitten the dust in the 2021 federal election due to Chinese interference during the election campaign.
The daily The Globe and Mail reported on Friday that China had used a sophisticated strategy to secure the re-election of a minority Liberal government led by Justin Trudeau and defeat conservative candidates deemed hostile to the Chinese communist regime.
The daily claims to have seen the extent of the interference operation carried out by Beijing by consulting secret documents from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) relating to the period before and after the September 2021 elections.
According to information obtained by The Presssenior Conservative Party leaders presented concrete examples of Chinese interference to CSIS investigators during three meetings that took place after Election Day, September 20, 2021. The last meeting was held two days before the formation of Justin Trudeau’s new cabinet, October 26, 2021.
“We have provided evidence to the relevant authorities. At least eight candidates have lost because of Chinese interference,” he told The Press a conservative source who requested anonymity in order to be able to speak freely on this issue.
“This is a very serious issue,” added this source.
It is absolutely essential that our national security agencies be able to detect and prevent this kind of interference to safeguard our democracy. Otherwise, political parties will avoid proposing policies that could offend authoritarian regimes.
Anonymous curator source
Of the eight Conservative candidates who were allegedly targeted by a disinformation campaign on WeChat aimed at the Chinese diaspora, three were incumbent MPs. They are Bob Soroya, who lost in the riding of Markham-Unionville, Ontario, after being elected in 2015, Kenny Chiu, who lost in Steveston–Richmond East, in British Columbia, after one term, and Alice Wong, in Richmond Centre, who had been elected continuously since 2011. These three MPs were defeated in 2021 by Liberal candidates.
In the last election, Erin O’Toole was the leader of the Conservative Party. He had taken a tough stance on China, promising to make alliances with the United States and other countries to counter Beijing’s growing influence.
According to our information, Kenny Chiu was particularly in the crosshairs of the Chinese authorities after he tabled in the House of Commons, in April 2021, a private bill aimed at establishing a register of foreign agents of influence. Beijing considered this bill openly hostile to its emissaries in Canada. The bill died on the order paper following the election call.
Last week, two former Canadian diplomats who served in China – David Mulroney and Charles Burton – told a parliamentary committee that the lack of a registry of people who act on behalf of other countries encourages foreign interference. on Canadian soil.
A known strategy
Asked about it on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged that China has been trying for years to interfere in elections taking place not only in Canada, but also in several other democratic countries. However, Beijing’s maneuvers did not taint the integrity of the last two polls, he argued.
“I have said many times over the past few years, including in the House of Commons, that China, among others, is trying to interfere in our democratic processes and in our communities in Canada, including included in our elections,” said the Prime Minister.
We have been aware of this for years in Canada and around the world. And that’s why our security and intelligence agencies work hard to counter this influence on a regular basis.
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
“I want to reassure Canadians once again that we have the most honest electoral systems in the world and I can once again calmly and absolutely confirm that the results of the elections in 2019 and 2021 are the results choose Canadian voters, full stop. »
In its Friday issue, The Globe and Mail reported that the CSIS documents were handed over by Canada to its allies of the Five Eyes which includes, in addition to Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Part of this information was also communicated to the French and German intelligence services.
Recall that a House of Commons procedure and affairs committee has launched a parliamentary inquiry into allegations that China intervened in the 2019 election campaign to back 11 mostly Liberal candidates in the region. of Toronto.
Over the past decade, Beijing has set itself the goal of expanding its political, economic and military influence around the world by using companies serving as relays for the communist regime and by capitalizing on its vast network of diplomats.
Trudeau ‘camouflaged’ affair, says Poilievre
While in Calgary, the leader of the Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre, accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of wanting to sweep Chinese interference attempts under the rug because his party had taken advantage of them.
“Can you really believe that CSIS would write a long report and share it with foreign countries without telling the Prime Minister about Chinese interference? It’s not believable,” he said.
Justin Trudeau was aware of this interference and he covered it up because he took advantage of it. He is quite happy to let an authoritarian regime interfere in our elections as long as it helps his cause.
Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party
Mr. Poilievre was thus alluding to previous statements by Mr. Trudeau who had denied, last fall, having been made aware by CSIS that China had established a “clandestine network” of illegal financing of a dozen candidates. during the 2019 elections.
For his part, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, said he was concerned by the revelations of the Globe and Mail. “It is worrying. […] When you see these things, you have to have your eyes wide open. You don’t have to be naive. We have to watch what is happening. That’s why recently, you’ve seen, we even tightened the rules in terms of research security in sensitive areas, in key areas of technology. So we will continue to take the appropriate measures because protecting national security is the number one priority. »
Bloc Québécois MP René Villemure also said that these revelations were disturbing. “It is extremely worrying, but it would be a mistake to challenge the legitimacy of the elections and only make it a partisan issue. The real issue is the ease with which foreign powers can manipulate our elections. It needs to be tackled with transparency, but for months the government has been denying any interference and hiding the truth,” he said.
Four highlights from the revelations of the Globe and Mail
- According The Globe and Mail, CSIS documents detail the tactics used by China in Canada. Among other things, the leadership of the Communist Party of China in Beijing “pressured its consulates to create strategies to leverage Chinese community members and associations for political gain within Canadian society.”
- The documents reveal that former Chinese consul general in Vancouver Tong Xiaoling bragged in 2021 that she helped defeat two Conservative MPs.
- In July 2021, about eight weeks before the election, an employee of a Chinese diplomatic mission in Canada reportedly said that China “likes it when parties in parliament are fighting each other, whereas if there is a majority, the ruling party can easily implement policies that do not favor the PRC.”
- CSIS documents also indicate that Chinese diplomats and some members of the Chinese-language media were given the mandate to convince the Chinese diaspora that the Conservative Party was too critical of China. If the Conservative Party were to win, it could follow in the footsteps of former US President Donald Trump, who notably banned Chinese students from attending certain universities or educational programs in the United States.