There can be a tendency among the public to write off political scandals as nothing more than partisan infighting, and it’s often an understandable tendency.
These days politicians and their proxies turn every little misstep made by their opponents into the biggest of dramas, demanding inquiries and resignations for things that don’t even register in the minds of the public. Sometimes the noise that comes from political circles probably seems to people as just that, noise.
But no one should write off the latest news about the Chinese Communist Party’s interference in Canadian elections as the scandal of the day. It’s far bigger and much more wide-reaching than that. It must be taken seriously by everyone, including the intended beneficiary of this interference—the federal Liberal government.
The shocking developments, as first reported by Global News, are that before the 2019 federal election the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) alerted senior aides in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office that Toronto-area Liberal candidate Han Dong was part of a Chinese government foreign interference network.
The CSIS reports claims that the Chinese Consulate in Toronto was “not pleased” with the performance of previous Liberal MP Geng Tan and so sought Dong as the replacement politician to do their bidding.
The national intelligence survey’s probe into this operation was so broad that it involved not just human sources and surveillances but wiretaps as well.
The Liberals appear to have done little with that information though, as Dong, a former provincial MPP, remained as the candidate in that riding and is now the riding’s sitting MP. And the Liberal government claims, without offering specific evidence, that reports on this matter are riddled with “inaccuracies.”
This is not a partisan saga but a national security one. The leaks don’t come from politicians looking to hurt the government. They come from senior security sources willing to risk their careers and even personal liberties to reveal this information to the public.
Global News received the documents and information from three different intelligence sources and provided them all anonymity to speak because these individuals could actually risk prosecution under the Security of Information Act.
Dong is just one of 11 MPs who were allegedly Beijing’s preferred candidates and received some degree of support from the Toronto consulate to help them win. Most are Liberals, although two are reportedly Conservatives.
While Dong firmly denies these allegations, the reports also say he wasn’t just a passive beneficiary of this interference but an active participant. His actions also indicate he has made decisions that would please any Beijing communist handlers.
“Trudeau can’t possibly decline an inquiry & RCMP investigation after this,” wrote Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a former senior public servant who is considered one of Canada’s top experts on relations with China. “I noted that Han Dong left his chair in the House of Commons just before the unanimous vote on Motion 62 to bring 10,000 Uyghurs to Canada. Didn’t want to get in trouble with his PRC bosses? He has zero credibility.”
This goes beyond one MP though. It goes beyond the 11 MPs—who will all likely soon be named. It speaks to the core of the integrity of our democratic processes.
“We should step back and think about PRC interference as an example of China’s extraterritorial reach, its ambition to extend its authority to areas that are currently the responsibility of political parties or various levels of government in Canada,” wrote David Mulroney, Canada’s former ambassador to China, on social media. “We should be very worried about the PM’s muted response to these threats to our sovereignty—as if he’s willing to cede some governing space to Beijing.”
This whole saga is also very alarming for Torontonians of Chinese heritage who fear intimidation and retaliation from the Beijing regime, whether it be pressure they feel here in Canada or potential harms brought to their family members back in China.
This is a non-partisan issue that needs a vigorous all-hands-on-deck response. Let’s hope the federal government comes around to that point of view and gets serious about the issue.
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