Canada’s intelligence agency has evidence that China employed “a sophisticated strategy” to seek the return of a minority Liberal government and to defeat Conservative politicians considered to be anti-Beijing in the country’s federal election in 2021, the Straits Times reported quoting a Globe and Mail report.
Reacting to a Globe and Mail report pointing to China’s interference in Canada’s democracy by disrupting the country’s federal election in 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tried to win over the faith of people, saying Canadians can have “total confidence” in the integrity of its election results. The Globe and Mail reported how China employed a sophisticated strategy to seek the return of a minority Liberal government and to defeat Conservative politicians considered to be unfriendly to Beijing in the 2021 federal election. The report was based on documents from Canadian Security Intelligence Service or CSIS. The tactics, outlined in secret CSIS reports, included disinformation campaigns, undeclared cash donations and the use of international Chinese students, studying in Canada, as campaign volunteers to support preferred Liberal candidates.
Acknowledging “China is trying to interfere in our democracy, in the processes in our country, including during our elections”, Trudeau said, “This is not a new phenomenon, and this is something that countries around the world have been grappling with for a long time, and Canada is no exception,” it reported.