Canada tells of China-linked ‘spamouflage’ blitz on MPs’ social media
GuardianOct 30, 2023
Canada: Inquiry Finds PRC Influence Didn't Violate Election Law
Above: Campaign signs on a street during a special election in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. Image copyright: Bloomberg/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Facts
An inquiry conducted by the Commissioner of Canada Elections (CCE) has found that while China did allegedly attempt to sway the votes of Chinese Canadians against the Conservative Party in 2021, its actions did not break election laws.
The inquiry was particularly focused on the re-election campaign of former Conservative member of parliament Kenny Chiu, who was elected in British Columbia's Steveston-Richmond East district in 2019 but lost in 2021.
The Spin
Left narrative
This report is congruent with the broader relationship between Canada and China. For example, while Ottawa has placed certain economic sanctions on Beijing, it hasn't damaged the overall positive economic partnership between the two nations. The same goes for these inquiries, which are popular among the Canadian people and are being conducted with the sole aim of finding the truth.
Right narrative
The conclusion of this inquiry goes against every piece of evidence. Canadian intelligence agencies, who are aligned with the ruling Liberal Party, were told about these attacks against their political opponents years ago by US intelligence agencies. It wasn't until court documents were unsealed in America that Canadians were able to see what their government was hiding from them.
Pro-China narrative
Canada's bad faith focusing on baseless allegations of supposed PRC interference in its elections harms relations with Beijing. This shows an overreliance on Canada's dependence on US hegemony. While there's still a firm foundation of many issues to collaborate on between Canada and China, these domestic political stunts don't help bilateral relations.