Majority of Canadians Concerned About China’s Interference in Canadian Society: Poll

People line up to vote in the advance polls for the federal election in Chambly, Que., on Sept. 10, 2021. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)

A majority of Canadians are concerned about the Chinese communist regime’s interference in Canadian society, a new poll finds, and seven in ten view it as a major threat to the country’s democracy.

Conducted by Nanos Research, the poll found that over nine in ten Canadians say they are concerned (59 percent) or somewhat concerned (32 percent) about Beijing’s interference on Canadian soil.

The findings were based on 1,012 random online surveys of Canadians aged 18 and above from Feb. 26 to March 1.

Commissioned by CTV News and published on March 3, the poll  noted that people of a higher age group worry more about the issue than younger ones.

Respondents aged 55 plus (68 percent concerned, 27 percent somewhat concerned) show a “higher intensity of concern” than those aged 18 to 34 (43 percent concerned, 44 percent somewhat concerned).

The poll comes amid cross-partisan calls for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to launch a public inquiry to examine recent reports of China’s alleged foreign interference operations in Canada that include but are not limited to its meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

Among the allegations are a Nov. 7, 2022, report by Global News that China had provided funding to at least 11 candidates in the 2019 campaign, and a report last month by the Globe and Mail on leaked Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS) documents saying that Beijing had interfered with Canada’s elections with the aim in part to have a minority Liberal government elected.

Trudeau has insisted that the Canadian election process is intact.

‘Major Threat’

Testifying before the Commons House Procedure and Affairs committee (PROC) on March 1, Jody Thomas, national security and intelligence adviser to Trudeau, said the prime minister was briefed “multiple times” about Beijing’s interference in both elections.

CSIS Director David Vigneault was also summoned to appear at the PROC hearing the next day in light of the leaked documents reportedly from his agency. The director said he is of the opinion there were no incidents that threatened the integrity of recent elections.

The Nanos poll found that nearly all respondents agreed that Beijing’s efforts to interfere in the 2021 federal election is a threat to the nation’s democracy. Seventy-one percent said it is a major threat while 23 percent viewed it as a minor threat.

As for Canada’s ability to protect elections from foreign interference, only 18 percent said the country is doing a “good” (15 percent) or “very good” (3 percent) job.

These results were in stark contrast to those who disagreed. Just under 40 percent replied “poor” (20 percent) or “very poor” (19 percent) when it comes Canada’s efforts to protect the integrity of elections against foreign state actors.

Another 30 percent answered “average,” while 13 percent said they were “unsure.”

On March 2, PROC passed a motion calling on the Trudeau government to launch a public inquiry to examine China’s election interference. The motion, introduced by NDP MP Peter Julian, was passed through a 6–5 vote, with Liberal MPs voting against it.

Andrew Chen and Peter Wilson contributed to this report.