Following Russia’s meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections and growing evidence of interference by authoritarian regimes in other democracies, it is now feared that Canada’s federal election in October could become the latest target in a mounting challenge to democratic processes worldwide.
While attention has rightly focused on Russia, Ottawa also needs to be prepared for the possibility of interference by Beijing. At the heart of rising apprehensions about China’s interference is the escalating dispute over the arrest and possible extradition to the United States of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested in Vancouver in December 2018 on suspicion of fraud and breaching U.S. sanctions on Iran.
