Canadian intelligence has reportedly uncovered that at least 11 candidates in the 2019 federal election received covert funding from the Chinese government as part of a campaign to interfere in Canada’s democratic process, according to reported the Global News network on Monday.
Posted at 9:06 p.m.
The network says that starting last January, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) participated in briefings with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other ministers, to inform them of Chinese interference. The federal counterintelligence agency reportedly said it detected transfers of funds from Chinese authorities to Liberal Party of Canada and Conservative Party of Canada candidates before the election, as well as maneuvers to place Chinese agents in the offices of some MPs and attempts to recruit former senior Canadian officials.
Also according to Global News, the briefings offered to members of the government did not identify the candidates concerned and did not specify whether CSIS considers this campaign of interference to have been successful.
Passing through Quebec on Monday, Justin Trudeau did not deny the news from the television network. “Unfortunately, we see countries, state actors around the world, whether it’s China or others, continuing to play aggressive games with our institutions, with our democracies,” he said. briefing.
CSIS adds another layer
Asked by The Press, CSIS did not want to confirm or deny the content of its presentations to federal ministers. But the organization, which so often refuses to comment publicly on national security issues, jumped at the chance to add a layer of Chinese interference in Canadian affairs.
“CSIS has determined that the interference of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Canada, and their attempts to target Canadians, threaten the national security,” CSIS spokesman Brandon Champagne said.
“I would like to point out that this threat does not come from the Chinese people, but rather from the CCP, whose all-out strategy is to make geopolitical gains in economic, technological, political and military terms, and which involves all facets of the state power to carry out activities that directly threaten the security and sovereignty of the country, ”he added, taking up an argument by the director of the organization, David Vigneault, dating from a speech in 2021.
“The term ‘foreign interference’ refers to activities carried out by a state such as the PRC or Russia to covertly influence decisions, events or electoral results so that they better serve its strategic interests. To influence political outcomes, they can exert pressure on communities, resort to hidden financing or take advantage of media in foreign languages”, explains Mr. Champagne.
“In order to counter these threats, CSIS communicates regularly with various stakeholders, including elected officials, to inform them of specific threats to the security and interests of Canada,” concluded the spokesperson.