Conservative candidate target of election ‘repression operation,’ task force says

A Conservative candidate critical of Hong Kong laws is the target of a “transnational repression operation,” Canada’s election interference task force said on Monday.

The campaign to discredit Joe Tay, who is running for the Tories in the Toronto riding of Don Valley North, is taking place on Chinese-language social media platforms as well as Facebook and TikTok.

The Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force said the attacks featured mock wanted posters depicting Tay along with disparaging headlines and commentary.

Manipulation of online search engines was also being used to disparage Tay, the panel told reporters at the final news scheduled conference of the 2025 federal election.

Tay is known for his opposition to autocratic laws in Hong Kong, where he is wanted by police along with other pro-democracy advocates.

2:04 Heading into the final week of the federal election campaign

In a statement, Tay said the task force’s findings were not new to him or his team.

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“We have seen these ‘wanted posters’ and other threats circulating throughout this campaign,” he said, calling the tactics consistent with the Chinese Communist Party.

“It is critical that all political parties and leaders take a clear stand against this foreign interference.”

While engagement with the content in question peaked in December 2024, the task force said it had increased again during the election campaign and had been linked to Hong Kong authorities.

The task force said it had raised the issue with the social media companies and “briefed the cleared representative of the Conservative Party about this information operation.”

The “activity is not affecting Canada’s ability to have a free and fair election, including in this riding,” it added.

Last month, Liberal candidate Paul Chiang apologized and quit after being widely condemned for suggesting people turn Tay in to claim a bounty for his arrest.

Chiang’s replacement, Peter Yuen, has since come under scrutiny for his alleged interactions with Chinese officials.

The SITE task force earlier warned that a Beijing-backed information operation on the Chinese social media platform WeChat was focused on Liberal leader Mark Carney.

The task force said the campaign against Tay was part of “a series of acts designed to discredit a candidate, silence criticism and dissent, and manipulate information that informs voters.”

“Such online content may also be perceived as sending a wider warning to voters, who are well aware of malign actors’ methods of transnational repression, and may avoid supporting their preferred candidate as a result.”

“This behaviour is called transnational repression, and it will not be tolerated,” it added.

“All Canadians should be aware that there are safeguards in place to ensure everyone’s vote is secret and secure, and that it is illegal to change a voter’s ballot, or to break the secrecy of the vote.”

Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca