Justin Trudeau downplays a report that China tried to influence the outcome of the last federal election in 2021.
The prime minister said Friday that only Canadian voters decided the results of the ballot, which returned him to power in a minority Liberal government.
THE Globe and Mailciting secret Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) files, wrote on Friday that China worked to help the Liberals form a minority government after the 2021 general election.
China is also said to have maneuvered to help the liberals defeat conservative candidates considered “hostile to Beijing”.
The Toronto daily writes that the former consul general of China in Vancouver would have boasted in 2021 of having helped to defeat two Conservative MPs in their riding.
THE Globe and Mail argues that CSIS quoted a Chinese diplomat as saying that Beijing likes it when Canadian political parties fight each other — whereas if one party forms a majority government, it can easily adopt policies that don’t favor China .
The daily also reports that according to CSIS, Chinese diplomats are behind undeclared cash contributions to political campaigns. Chinese diplomats have also reportedly asked contractors to hire international Chinese students and assign them to election campaigns.
Neither CSIS nor the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa immediately commented on the report. Globe and Mail.
A long-standing phenomenon
In Ottawa, Bloc Québécois deputy leader Christine Normandin on Friday called it “disturbing” the fact that “Chinese state actors worked to influence the outcome of the election”, but she did not want to put ” question the result as such of the election nor democracy”.
“What remains even more worrying is knowing that the government [canadien] knew, but systematically refused to share it with the population, and even insisted that he had no information to know that there are candidates, for example, who could have been targeted by interference, foreign interference,” said Mr.me Normandin at a press briefing in the foyer of the House of Commons.
Under a federal protocol, there would be a public announcement if a group of senior officials determined that an incident — or an accumulation of incidents — threatened Canada’s ability to hold free and fair elections.
There was no such announcement in 2021 or the 2019 election. In both polls, the Liberals were re-elected to government with minority mandates, while the Conservatives formed the Official Opposition.
“All Canadians can have complete confidence that the results of the 2019 and 2021 elections were determined by Canadians, and Canadians alone, in the voting booth,” Justin Trudeau said Friday of the election. history of World.
The Prime Minister admitted that he has long said that China is trying to interfere in Canadian democracy, including in elections.
“We are aware of that. And I can assure you that our intelligence and security agencies have worked very hard over the past few years to develop more and more tools to counter this, to ensure that our institutions remain secure,” added Mr. Trudeau.
He pointed out that countries around the world have long struggled with this phenomenon, Canada being no exception.
As for the release of classified information, Trudeau said it was “a sign that security within CSIS needs to be reviewed.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Friday that Trudeau chose not to be transparent about Chinese interference because it benefited him.
“It is clear that Justin Trudeau covered up the interference of the authoritarian regime in Beijing,” he said.
Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino said late last year that the Liberal government was preparing to consult the public on the possible creation of a registry of foreign agents to prevent outside interference in Canadian business.