Carney targeted by Chinese WeChat ‘operation’ in Canada election: officials
Global News
The 'information operation' was launched by Youli-Youmian, WeChat's most popular news account, which has been linked to the Chinese Communist Party, Canadian officials said.
Canadian officials monitoring the federal election for foreign interference said Monday they have detected a Chinese-backed operation targeting Liberal Leader Mark Carney on the social media platform WeChat.
The “information operation” was launched by Youli-Youmian, WeChat’s most popular news account, which has been linked to the Chinese Communist Party’s central political and legal affairs commission, officials from the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) task force said.
According to the assessment unveiled Monday, the operation was intended to influence Chinese-Canadian communities and “mould perceptions” about Carney through articles that were amplified and spread by other WeChat accounts “in a coordinated and inauthentic way.”
“This information operation had contrasting positive and negative narratives, first amplifying Mr. Carney’s stance with the United States and then targeting his experience and credentials,” Laurie-Anne Kempton, assistant secretary to the cabinet for communications at the Privy Council Office, told reporters in Ottawa.
However, Kempton said that “at this time, the panel has determined that this is not affecting Canada’s ability to have a free and fair election.”
She explained that the WeChat campaign is not preventing Canadians from being able to make up their own minds about their vote.
Officials notified the Liberal campaign about the Chinese operation on Sunday, “following increasing levels of engagement on the platform” two days after the election was called on March 23, the task force said.
The task force also noticed large spikes of activity on March 10, the day after Carney won the Liberal leadership race.
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