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Crime

Communist China has been directly interfering in Canadian media via journalists, execs: int’l report

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4 minute read

From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

A newly revealed intelligence report is alleging that China has been pressuring mainstream Canadian media in an effort to manipulate the news via “direct engagement” with “media executives and journalists.”

According to a National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) report tabled June 3, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been interfering with Canadian media outlets by pressuring them to write favorably about the communist regime.   

The report found that China has been “interfering with Canadian media content via direct engagement with Canadian media executives and journalists.” 

A summary of six redacted sentences, which “were deleted to remove injurious or privileged information,” described how the PRC interfered with Canadian news.   

Examples included “paying to publish media articles without attribution, sponsoring media travel to the PRC, pressuring journalists to withdraw articles and creating false accounts on social media to spread disinformation.”  

This is hardly the first time China’s meddling in mainstream media has been exposed. In 2021, Canadian Security Intelligence Service Director David Vigneault warned that foreign interference in media had “become normalized,” especially with ethnic media outlets.    

“In particular, PRC media influence activities in Canada have become normalized,” the briefing memo stated.   

The report followed a March survey which revealed that the majority of Canadians believe that legacy media journalists and government officials are not trustworthy and are “lying to them” regularly.  

Chinese interference in government-funded media is hardly surprising considering Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s open admiration for China’s socialist regime.   

Beyond influencing the media, China is also alleged to be directly involved in the Canadian electoral process.

In April, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) confirmed that China was working to help elect regime-friendly Canadian MPs.  

Later that same month, CSIS director David Vigneault testified that he gave Trudeau multiple warnings that agents of the Communist Chinese Party were going after Conservative MPs, with Trudeau denying he ever got such warnings.

As LifeSiteNews previously reported, details from a “top secret” memo have shown that Trudeau’s office was giving explicit warnings by Canadian intelligence that agents of the CCP were an “existential threat to Canadian democracy.”  

As a consequence of these allegations, the Foreign Interference Commission was convened to “examine and assess the interference by China, Russia, and other foreign states or non-state actors, including any potential impacts, to confirm the integrity of, and any impacts on, the 43rd and 44th general elections (2019 and 2021 elections) at the national and electoral district levels.”  

The Commission is being headed by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, who had earlier said that she and her lawyers will remain “impartial” and will not be influenced by politics and began January 29. 

In January, Hogue said that she would “uncover the truth whatever it may be.” 

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2025 Federal Election

RCMP Confirms It Is ‘Looking Into’ Alleged Foreign Threat Following Liberal Candidate Paul Chiang Comments

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Sam Cooper

The confirmation followed a day of escalating pressure on Canadian law enforcement after The Bureau revealed that the UK-based human rights organization Hong Kong Watch sent a formal letter to RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme, calling for a criminal investigation into Chiang’s reported remarks.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed late Monday it is actively reviewing the controversy surrounding Liberal MP Paul Chiang’s alleged remarks that appeared to endorse delivering a political rival to a foreign government in exchange for a bounty.

In a statement sent to The Bureau, the RCMP said: “Foreign actor interference, including instances of transnational repression, continues to be a pervasive threat in Canada. The RCMP takes all such reports and allegations seriously and — in close partnership with intelligence, law enforcement and regulatory agencies — dedicates significant resources to combatting and investigating criminal activity related to foreign interference in Canada’s democratic processes.”

“The RCMP is looking into the matter,” the statement continued, “however no specific details can be provided at this time.”

The confirmation followed a day of escalating pressure on Canadian law enforcement after The Bureau revealed that the UK-based human rights organization Hong Kong Watch sent a formal letter to RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme, calling for a criminal investigation into Chiang’s reported remarks. The comments, made during a January meeting with Chinese-language journalists, suggested that Conservative candidate Joe Tay could be brought to the Chinese Consulate in Toronto to claim a bounty placed on him by the Hong Kong police under Beijing’s National Security Law.

The organization alleged the remarks could constitute “counselling to commit kidnapping” under Canada’s Criminal Code. In their letter, Hong Kong Watch also referenced the Foreign Interference and Security of Information Act, which prohibits attempts to coerce or intimidate individuals for the benefit of a foreign state.

While the RCMP’s statement did not confirm the launch of a formal investigation, it emphasized that if “criminal or illegal activities occurring in Canada [are] found to be backed by a foreign state, it is within the RCMP’s mandate to investigate this activity.”

The RCMP said it does not typically disclose information related to ongoing investigations unless charges are laid. Nor will it confirm which individuals may be under protective watch.

Earlier Monday, Tay confirmed that he contacted the RCMP over concerns for his personal safety even before Chiang’s comments became public. Chiang, a former police officer and Liberal candidate in Markham–Unionville, has apologized for the remarks, calling them a “terrible lapse in judgment.”

Meanwhile, more than 40 Hong Kong diaspora organizations based in Canada and abroad issued a joint statement condemning Chiang’s remarks and calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to remove him as a candidate. Carney told reporters in Toronto that Chiang still has his “confidence,” and described the incident as a “teachable moment.”

The RCMP said its “overarching priority is the safety and security of the public,” and encouraged anyone who feels threatened online or in person to report such incidents to their local police. In cases of immediate danger, individuals are urged to call 911.

The statement also pointed to the existence of protective mechanisms for election candidates, including through Elections Canada and the federal government.

More to come

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2025 Federal Election

London-Based Human Rights Group Urges RCMP to Investigate Liberal MP for Possible Counselling of Kidnapping

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Hong Kong Watch says MP Paul Chiang’s remarks about delivering rival Joe Tay to the Chinese Consulate may amount to criminal conduct under Canada’s Criminal Code.

On Monday, more than 40 Hong Kong diaspora organizations across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany issued a joint statement condemning Chiang’s remarks and calling for immediate action from Prime Minister Mark Carney.

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