Canada’s spy agency believes the Chinese government “clandestinely and deceptively” interfered in both the 2019 and 2021 federal elections — and a top secret briefing note discussed at the Foreign Interference Commission shows the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) told the Prime Minister’s Office about it in February 2023.
The document, described by one lawyer appearing before the commission’s public inquiry as “remarkable,” was tabled on Monday.
It is a briefing for the Prime Minister’s Office drafted following the publication of stories by The Globe and Mail and Global News that contained intelligence leaks about foreign interference by the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
“We know the PRC clandestinely and deceptively interfered both in the 2019 and 2021 general elections. In both cases, [foreign interference … was] pragmatic in nature and focused primarily in supporting those viewed to be either ‘pro-PRC’ or ‘neutral’ on issues of interest to the PRC government,” the document says under the subhead “Assertions in Media Reporting.”
The document alleges that at least 11 candidates and 13 staff members were implicated in foreign interference by the Chinese government, and that multiple political parties were involved.
Another CSIS document, tabled earlier in the inquiry, refers to seven Liberal candidates and four from the Conservative Party of Canada.
“We also observed online and media activities aimed at discouraging Canadians, particularly of Chinese heritage, from supporting the Conservative Party, leader Erin O’Toole, and particularly Steveston-Richmond East Candidate Kenny Chiu,” says the briefing note.
“In 2021, the PRC FI activities were almost certainly motivated by a perception that the Conservative Party of Canada was promoting a platform that was perceived to be anti-PRC.”
It goes on to say “the timing of these efforts to align with Conservative polling improvements; the similarities in language with articles published by PRC state media; and the partnership agreements between these Canada-based outlets and PRC entities all suggest that these efforts were orchestrated or directed by the PRC.”
The briefing note goes on to say the task force assigned to monitor foreign interference determined that these activities didn’t affect the overall outcome of the election.
Testifying before the public inquiry on foreign interference, former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole claimed Chinese meddling cost the Tories up to nine seats in the 2021 election and his job as party leader.
The public inquiry into foreign interference has heard already from O’Toole and Chiu, who testified that their concerns about foreign interference were brushed aside when they raised them with Canadian officials.
Additional testimony and documents tabled at the inquiry show that the body assigned to monitor interference in elections detected potential foreign interference targeted at O’Toole and Chiu, but did not inform them of it at the time, even when the Conservative Party raised potential instances of foreign interference.
Last week, O’Toole told the commission he believes his party lost up to nine seats because of Chinese meddling.
The briefing note said that CSIS provided 34 briefings to cabinet ministers and other senior officials on foreign interference, including acts of interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections.
“Until (foreign interference) is viewed as an existential threat to Canadian democracy and governments forcefully and actively respond, these threats will persist,” said the briefing note to PMO.
Reference to $250,000 transfer from Chinese officials
While sections of the briefing note are redacted, it refers to a possible $250,000 transfer of funds from the PRC — first to a staff member for a 2019 federal election candidate and then to an Ontario MPP.
A separate CSIS document tabled last week shows that the spy agency believed “a group of known and suspected” PRC “threat actors” worked in loose coordination with one another to “covertly advance PRC interests through Canadian democratic institutions.”
It cites some Canadian intelligence assessments suggesting some threat actors received financial support from the PRC, including “at least two transfers of funds approximating $250,000 from PRC officials in Canada, possible for FI-related purposes.”
The document alleges the money was transferred through multiple individuals to hide its origins.
