Reports from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) have highlighted covert and deceptive interference by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in two recent Canadian elections, as per media accounts.
CSIS, in a briefing to the commission formed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau following requests from opposition lawmakers to investigate potential Chinese involvement in electoral manipulation, confirmed that the PRC had clandestinely intervened in both the 2019 and 2021 elections.
It's noteworthy that Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party emerged victorious in both the 2019 and 2021 elections.
The intelligence agency emphasized that the Foreign Interference (FI) activities carried out by China were pragmatic and aimed at backing candidates perceived as either 'pro-PRC' or 'neutral' on matters aligning with the interests of the Chinese government.
CSIS further pointed out that the success of such state-sponsored interference is facilitated by the limited legal or political repercussions in Canada, making it a low-risk and high-reward endeavor.
During the 2021 election campaign, Erin O’Toole, the leading campaigner for the Conservative Party, estimated that Chinese interference might have cost his party up to nine seats.
According to data from the 2021 Canadian census, the Chinese-descended population in Canada stands at around 1.7 million, constituting just under 5 percent of the total population.
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