Canada facing ‘aggressive games’ from China, others amid interference report: Trudeau

In January, Canadian intelligence officials presented Justin Trudeau and several cabinet ministers with allegations of Beijing’s efforts to further its influence in Canada.

China and other nations are playing “aggressive games” with democracies, Justin Trudeau says amid reports Beijing is allegedly targeting Canada with a vast campaign of foreign interference.

The prime minister on Monday responded to a Global News investigation that detailed alleged efforts by China to fund a clandestine network of at least 11 federal candidates who ran in the 2019 election, among other allegations of election interference in that campaign.

“We have taken significant measures to strengthen the integrity of our elections processes and our systems, and we’ll continue to invest in the fight against election interference, against foreign interference of our democracy and institutions,” Trudeau told reporters in Montreal.

“Unfortunately, we’re seeing countries, state actors from around the world, whether it’s China or others, are continuing to play aggressive games with our institutions, with our democracies.”

In January, Canadian intelligence officials presented Trudeau and several cabinet ministers with a series of briefings and memos with the allegations, including other detailed examples of Beijing’s efforts to further its influence and subvert Canada’s democratic process, sources told Global News.

Those efforts allegedly involve payments through intermediaries to candidates affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and placing agents in the offices of MPs to influence policy, according to recent information from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

Furthermore, the national spy agency believes China has been seeking to co-opt and corrupt former Canadian officials to gain leverage in Ottawa, and mounting aggressive campaigns to punish Canadian politicians whom the People’s Republic of China (PRC) views as threats to its interests.

Chief among the allegations is that CSIS claims China’s Toronto consulate directed a large clandestine transfer of funds to a network of at least 11 federal election candidates and numerous Beijing operatives who worked as their campaign staffers.