Canada: Inquiry Finds PRC Influence Didn't Violate Election Law

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Facts

  • An inquiry conducted by the Commissioner of Canada Elections (CCE) has found that while China did allegedly attempt to sway the votes of Chinese Canadians against the Conservative Party in 2021, its actions did not break election laws.[1]
  • The inquiry was particularly focused on the re-election campaign of former Conservative member of parliament Kenny Chiu, who was elected in British Columbia's Steveston-Richmond East district in 2019 but lost in 2021.[1][2]
  • The report concluded that China 'leveraged' certain comments made by Chiu, which were then 'amplified through repetition in social media, chat groups,' and in Chinese media to claim the lawmaker was stoking 'anti-Chinese discrimination and racism.'[1]
  • The CCE, which found the influence operation was not to be 'in contravention' of the Canada Elections Act, claimed that it was 'unique to the Chinese diaspora and the assertive nature of Chinese government interests.'[2]
  • While the commission interviewed several Chinese Canadians, 'several' of whom reportedly claimed China could employ 'retributive measures' against them for speaking out against the Chinese government, none of them would identify an actual voter who was impacted by the scheme.[2]
  • This follows a separate report last year, which found that Canadian intelligence services were aware in 2021 of alleged Chinese government attempts to intimidate another Conservative member of parliament, Michael Chong, and his family.[3]

Sources: [1]CBC, [2]Nationalpost and [3]Business in Vancouver.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by Toronto Star. This report is congruent with the broader relationship between Canada and China. For example, while Ottawa has placed certain economic sanctions on Beijing, it hasn't damaged the overall positive economic partnership between the two nations. The same goes for these inquiries, which are popular among the Canadian people and are being conducted with the sole aim of finding the truth.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Rebelnews. The conclusion of this inquiry goes against every piece of evidence. Canadian intelligence agencies, who are aligned with the ruling Liberal Party, were told about these attacks against their political opponents years ago by US intelligence agencies. It wasn't until court documents were unsealed in America that Canadians were able to see what their government was hiding from them.
  • Pro-China narrative, as provided by Global Times. Canada's bad faith focusing on baseless allegations of supposed PRC interference in its elections harms relations with Beijing. This shows an overreliance on Canada's dependence on US hegemony. While there's still a firm foundation of many issues to collaborate on between Canada and China, these domestic political stunts don't help bilateral relations.

Predictions