Trudeau gives the impression of wanting to buy time. If he decided to form a commission of inquiry into foreign influence in Canada, it would probably not begin its work before the fall of 2023, if not the winter of 2024.
Since the Trudeau government is in a minority, an election could be held before the results of the inquiry are revealed. That could satisfy the three main political parties in Ottawa.
Extended issue
The question of foreign influence goes beyond that of China. It also affects the influence of other governments. For example, what influence does Punjab have on the Sikh ministers of the Trudeau government or on Jagmeet Singh? It concerns the influence of the United States in the Canadian army, in particular for the purchase of armaments. Moreover, what is the influence of Saudi Arabia, through the mosques it subsidizes?
These questions are disturbing, but legitimate.
A commission of inquiry could conclude that the foreign influence is marginal. This would be reassuring and elected officials could take advantage of the opportunity to better define the limits of foreign actions.
Pandora’s box
But such an investigation could also reveal the opposite. This investigation would become a veritable Pandora’s box.
The Canadian government does not want an investigation to lead to widespread suspicion of various immigrant groups. Such suspicion would be catastrophic for its multicultural ideology. It could fatally tear Canadian society apart.
However, if foreign influence in Canada is really getting stronger, then it is high time to stop it, before the country becomes ungovernable.
Given the dangers of such an investigation, it is better for the government to proceed selectively, starting with an investigation of China, even if it means following this investigation with other investigations of other governments.
New revelations about China
China’s influence is well documented in several countries. Every week, new revelations come out about her. For example, Yu Yintao, former director of engineering at ByteDance, a branch of TikTok, just gave an embarrassing testimony for China in Washington.
According to him, the Chinese Communist Party directly accesses the data of TikTok users outside of China. It censors certain topics. He promotes Party propaganda.
No China specialist is surprised by these revelations. But this is only the tip of the iceberg.
David Johnston’s resignation could be a blessing in disguise, as the Canadian government quickly launches a special public inquiry into China’s influence and as this is followed by other commissions on the influence from other countries.
Otherwise, one would be tempted to conclude that China’s influence has already reached dangerous proportions.