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Parliamentarians helped foreign interference in Canadian elections
15 June 2024 at 15:20
On March 8, 2024, the Canadian National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) provided Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with the Special Report on Foreign Interference in Canada's Democratic Processes and Institutions (redacted pdf). On June 3, NSICOP tabled the report in Parliament. The document alleges that while "parliamentarians were unaware they were the target of foreign interference", others have been "wittingly assisting foreign state actors," though maybe not anybody currently in Parliament.
NSICOP is a cross-party group of MPs and Senators with the highest level of security clearance, chaired by Liberal MP David J. McGuinty and with members: 3 Senators (the Honourables Patricia Duncan, Marty Klyne, and Frances Lankin) and Bloc Québécois MP Stéphane Bergeron, NDP MP Don Davies, Liberal MP Patricia Lattanzio, Conservative MPs Rob Morrison and Alex Ruff, and two Liberal MPs who ceased membership on Sept 17, 2023, Iqra Khalid and James Maloney. Some background: In 2021 and 2022, the Conservative Party blamed Chinese influence campaigns for the defeat in the 2021 federal election of as many as 9 Conservative candidates, with another 4 also targeted who weren't in competitive ridings. Media reported on a vast, orchestrated disinformation campaign by the People's Republic of China which included funding some federal candidates. At the time, CSIS said they "saw attempts at foreign interference, but not enough to have met the threshold of impacting electoral integrity". In March 2023, the Prime Minister asked the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) to conduct a review. NSIRA submitted its Review of the dissemination of intelligence on People's Republic of China political foreign interference, 2018-2023 to the Prime Minister a year later on March 5, 2024 and released a declassified version April 26 (pdf). Also in March 2023, Trudeau appointed an independent special rapporteur, former governor general David Johnston, to investigate. In June 2023, opposition MPs teamed up to pass an NDP motion to remove Johnston because he recommended against holding a public inquiry. In September 2023, the Government of Canada announced a public inquiry centering on "China, Russia and other foreign states or nonstate actors" interfering in the 43rd and 44th general elections. Public hearings began in January 2024. In April 2024, media reported that the People's Republic of China allegedly clandestinely paid "threat actors" in late 2018 or early 2019, who targeted 7 Liberal Party candidates and 4 Conservative Party candidates, with some apparently willing to co-operate in foreign interference and others apparently unaware of it. Additionally, international students may have been coerced by the PRC to vote for Independent (formerly Liberal) MP Han Dong, possibly without Dong's knowledge. P. 31 of the NSICOP redacted report talks about "a CSIS assessment on the degree to which an individual was implicated in these activities" but is silent on Dong's knowledge of them. India allegedly interfered in one race for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada, and the People's Republic of China allegedly interfered in two. Details were redacted from the NSICOP report. Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole believes interference played a role in his 2022 ouster as party leader. Trudeau told the inquiry that allegations that China would prefer a Liberal minority government is "very improbable," as Canada-China relations have soured due to the Huawei and Two Michaels incidents. Canada doesn't have a foreign influence registry, a tool used by the US to remove PRC "police stations" like the ones in Toronto and Vancouver. Trudeau wants to ensure such a registry not target diaspora groups. Bill C-70, dubbed the "Countering Foreign Interference Act," was introduced in early May, though universties say it could chill research partnerships. Back to the NSICOP report: The declassified, redacted version of the NSICOP Special Report mentions:
NSICOP is a cross-party group of MPs and Senators with the highest level of security clearance, chaired by Liberal MP David J. McGuinty and with members: 3 Senators (the Honourables Patricia Duncan, Marty Klyne, and Frances Lankin) and Bloc Québécois MP Stéphane Bergeron, NDP MP Don Davies, Liberal MP Patricia Lattanzio, Conservative MPs Rob Morrison and Alex Ruff, and two Liberal MPs who ceased membership on Sept 17, 2023, Iqra Khalid and James Maloney. Some background: In 2021 and 2022, the Conservative Party blamed Chinese influence campaigns for the defeat in the 2021 federal election of as many as 9 Conservative candidates, with another 4 also targeted who weren't in competitive ridings. Media reported on a vast, orchestrated disinformation campaign by the People's Republic of China which included funding some federal candidates. At the time, CSIS said they "saw attempts at foreign interference, but not enough to have met the threshold of impacting electoral integrity". In March 2023, the Prime Minister asked the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) to conduct a review. NSIRA submitted its Review of the dissemination of intelligence on People's Republic of China political foreign interference, 2018-2023 to the Prime Minister a year later on March 5, 2024 and released a declassified version April 26 (pdf). Also in March 2023, Trudeau appointed an independent special rapporteur, former governor general David Johnston, to investigate. In June 2023, opposition MPs teamed up to pass an NDP motion to remove Johnston because he recommended against holding a public inquiry. In September 2023, the Government of Canada announced a public inquiry centering on "China, Russia and other foreign states or nonstate actors" interfering in the 43rd and 44th general elections. Public hearings began in January 2024. In April 2024, media reported that the People's Republic of China allegedly clandestinely paid "threat actors" in late 2018 or early 2019, who targeted 7 Liberal Party candidates and 4 Conservative Party candidates, with some apparently willing to co-operate in foreign interference and others apparently unaware of it. Additionally, international students may have been coerced by the PRC to vote for Independent (formerly Liberal) MP Han Dong, possibly without Dong's knowledge. P. 31 of the NSICOP redacted report talks about "a CSIS assessment on the degree to which an individual was implicated in these activities" but is silent on Dong's knowledge of them. India allegedly interfered in one race for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada, and the People's Republic of China allegedly interfered in two. Details were redacted from the NSICOP report. Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole believes interference played a role in his 2022 ouster as party leader. Trudeau told the inquiry that allegations that China would prefer a Liberal minority government is "very improbable," as Canada-China relations have soured due to the Huawei and Two Michaels incidents. Canada doesn't have a foreign influence registry, a tool used by the US to remove PRC "police stations" like the ones in Toronto and Vancouver. Trudeau wants to ensure such a registry not target diaspora groups. Bill C-70, dubbed the "Countering Foreign Interference Act," was introduced in early May, though universties say it could chill research partnerships. Back to the NSICOP report: The declassified, redacted version of the NSICOP Special Report mentions:
- "members of Parliament who worked to influence their colleagues on India's behalf and proactively provided confidential information to Indian officials." (p.24)
- a PRC "network had some contact with at least 11 candidates and 13 campaign staffers, some of whom appeared to be wittingly working for the PRC" (p. 26)
- "Member of Parliament wittingly provided information *** to a foreign state . . . a particularly concerning case of a then-member of Parliament maintaining a relationship with a foreign intelligence officer" (p.26)
- "an example of the PRC using intermediaries to provide funds likely to support candidates in the 2019 federal election, including two transfers of funds approximating $250,000 through a prominent community leader, a political staffer and then an Ontario member of Provincial Parliament. CSIS could not confirm that the funds reached any candidate." (pp.28-29).
