9-4-204 (OTTAWA) The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has revealed that China clandestinely interfered in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian elections, marking the strongest evidence to date of suspected Chinese meddling in Canadian politics. The revelation came to light during a commission probe into foreign interference, which was initiated by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in response to media reports on China’s potential role.
A slide presented to the commission on April 8 contained an excerpt from a February 2023 CSIS briefing, confirming the interference. The slide stated, “We know that the PRC (Peoples’ Republic of China) clandestinely and deceptively interfered in both the 2019 and 2021 elections. In both cases, these foreign interference activities were pragmatic in nature and focused primarily on supporting those viewed to be either ‘pro-PRC’ or ‘neutral’ on issues of interest to the PRC government.”
While the existence of the assessment had been previously reported by Global News, this official confirmation from CSIS adds weight to the claims. China, however, denies any interference in Canadian politics.
Erin O’Toole, who led the Conservatives during the 2021 campaign, estimated that Chinese interference may have cost his party up to nine seats but clarified that it did not alter the outcome of the election. The CSIS assessment highlighted the low-risk, high-reward nature of foreign interference in Canada, as there are limited legal and political consequences for such actions.
Critics, including intelligence analysts and the Conservatives, argue that the Trudeau government has not taken sufficient measures to counter Chinese interference. Prime Minister Trudeau is scheduled to testify before the commission on April 10.
During the 2021 campaign, the Conservatives, known for their tougher stance on China compared to the Liberal Party, condemned Beijing’s treatment of the Uyghur minority and pledged to ban Chinese telecom giant Huawei from the country’s 5G network.
A legislator from the left-leaning New Democrats, who are part of the minority in Parliament, revealed that once she began criticizing Beijing’s policies in Hong Kong, invitations to events organized by the politically influential ethnic Chinese community started to decline.
According to the official 2021 census, Canada is home to approximately 1.7 million people of Chinese descent, constituting just under 5 percent of the total population.
The Chinese embassy has not responded immediately to requests for comment on the CSIS statement.
In 2023, Canada announced that a Conservative legislator with family ties in Hong Kong had been targeted in an online disinformation campaign. In response, the country expelled a senior Chinese diplomat..
