Global Affairs Canada (GAC) says it has detected an “information operation” targeting Conservative MP Michael Chong and it is “highly probable” — but not conclusive — that came from China.
A summary of the report says the detected operation occurred between May 4 and 13, 2023 – coinciding with Canada designating Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei in the Toronto consulate persona non grata, expelling him from the country.
The expulsion followed allegations that Wei was involved in attempts from Beijing’s intelligence service targeting Chong and his family.
GAC says the WeChat network “amplified a large volume of false or misleading narratives” about Chong. In GAC’s assessment, nothing observed represented a safety threat for Chong or his family.
The RRM provided Chong with a briefing on Aug. 9, according to GAC.
“This is another serious example of the communist government in Beijing attempting to interfere in our democracy by targeting elected officials,” Chong said in a statement.
“While I appreciate that in this instance the government did not wait for two years and a media story before informing myself and the public, clearly more must be done to combat foreign interference from Beijing.”
Chong concluded his statement calling on a public inquiry into foreign interference.
Officials said one-third of the network involved known state-media outlets and accounts likely linked to Beijing. The remaining two-thirds of the WeChat accounts were anonymous and had not previously posted about Canadian politics.
“An analysis by the RRM to determine the possibility of state involvement revealed that, while China’s role in the information operation is highly probable, unequivocal proof that China ordered and directed the operation is not possible to determine due to the covert nature of how social media networks are leveraged in this type of information campaign,” the GAC statement reads.
While the RRM is unable to definitively link the Chinese government to this information network, GAC notes it takes foreign interference seriously as it can undermine Canada’s democracy by discouraging parliamentarians from carrying out their duties and speaking out on important issues.
Former Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) executive manager Dan Stanton says intelligence is not totally precise, but for GAC to make this statement it shows confidence in the assertion.
“We know the context. We know Michael Chong and we know his family members in Hong Kong were also targeted by the PRC. We know our electoral processes are targeted by the PRC, so it’s a safe bet where this is coming from,” Stanton said.
“This is an example, perhaps in a general way of how they do it.”
The report notes that it is hard to determine how many WeChat users are in Canada, it is estimated there are more than one million users in Canada.
The RRM estimates there are between two and five million users globally who viewed this content.
Newly appointed Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc has been tasked with working with the opposition party leaders to figure out a way to address foreign interference in the wake of former governor general David Johnstone resigning as special rapporteur.
All the opposition party leaders are calling for a public inquiry, with LeBlanc repeatedly saying an announcement will be made in due time.
Meanwhile, former Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick says this instance underscores the need for stronger legislation to address foreign interference – something he says could happen concurrently with an inquiry.
“There are only about 240 usable days of this parliament left before they go off to campaign in the next election. That’s not a lot of time to put a piece of legislation through. I think the message is to all political parties that time is running out,” Wernick said, referencing the scheduled 2025 end date for the Liberal-NDP supply and confidence deal.
For now, the veteran civil servant is encouraged by what he calls this proactive disclosure from GAC.
“I think it’s constructive to see the monitoring going on. And it’s not just about the big national elections that they are keeping an eye on by elections and other other political activity. And I think it’s constructive to see the disclosure,” he said.