espionage
Canada’s security agency confirms Chinese agents worked directly to elect MPs
From LifeSiteNews
Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) director David Vigneault testified to the ongoing Foreign Interference Commission that he supports the ‘conclusions’ that Communist China was working to help elect regime-friendly Canadian MPs.
During testimony last week at the inquiry looking into alleged meddling in Canada’s last two federal elections, the head of the nation’s intelligence agency confirmed that agents of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) did help to elect “pro-China” candidates, also disclosing the existence of a large cash payments scheme totaling $250,000.
David Vigneault, who serves as the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) director, told the inquiry, titled the Foreign Interference Commission, that he supports the “conclusions” that the CCP was working to help elect China-friendly Canadian MPs.
“I support those conclusions,” he said after pointing out documents that show large cash payments to unnamed public office holders.
“These words have been crafted very carefully,” he said, adding, “For the Commission record I support those conclusions. I would not want to go further.”
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 on January 29.
In January, Hogue said that she would “uncover the truth whatever it may be.”
The CSIS director’s comments came as a result of an internal federal memo, the After Action Report 2021 Federal Election, which noted how “The People’s Republic of China sought to clandestinely and deceptively influence Canada’s 2021 federal election.”
The memo, dated December 17, 2021, reads that the “foreign influence was pragmatic in nature and focused primarily on supporting individuals viewed to be either ‘pro-PRC’ or ‘neutral’ on issues of interest to the People’s Republic of China government and Chinese Communist Party.”
The document was put together by the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force.
“The Task Force also observed online media activities aimed at discouraging Canadians particularly of Chinese heritage from supporting the Conservative Party of Canada, Party leader Erin O’Toole and particularly former Steveston-Richmond East candidate Kenny Chiu,” reads the Action Report.
Counsel for Conservative MP Michael Chong asked Vigneault during the Commission hearings if CSIS agreed with the Action Report.
“I recognize this information,” said Vigneault in reply.
Thus far, the testimony at the Commission has revealed that former Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) MP Kenny Chiu said he felt “betrayed” by the federal government after only now learning he was the target of agents of the CCP.
Also, the public has learned via the inquiry from Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault that he was secretly warned by security agents of irregularities in the 2019 election.
‘Politically-Connected Canadian’ linked to cash payments of $250,000 to influence 2019 election
Last week, the Commission released a CSIS report titled People’s Republic Of China: Threat Actors, Contact With Candidates And Funding Of Threat Actors, which documents the large cash payments of “$250,000 from People’s Republic of China officials in Canada possibly for foreign influence-related purposes.”
“Prior to and during the 43rd general election in 2019 a group of known and suspected People’s Republic of China related threat actors in Canada including PRC officials worked in loose coordination with one another to covertly advance PRC interests through Canadian democratic institutions,” wrote the agency in the report.
The report lists that 11 political candidates as well as 13 political staff members were “assessed to be either implicated in or impacted by this group of threat actors,” and that “some of these threat actors received financial support from the People’s Republic of China.”
“For example, there likely were at least two transfers of funds approximating $250,000 from People’s Republic of China officials in Canada possibly for foreign influence-related purposes though most likely not in an attempt to covertly fund the 11 candidates,” the report reads.
“These were transferred via multiple individuals to obfuscate their origins via an influential community leader, to the staff member of a 2019 federal election candidate and then to an Ontario MPP. The transfers reportedly took place in late 2018, early 2019.”
Vigneault confirmed last Thursday that the reports were accurate, saying about them, “That is a correct statement,” but added the agency is not able to “discuss classified information.”
As for the unnamed “Politically-Connected Canadian,” Vigneault said that he would “not have any specific comment about political matters as you can imagine.”
The Commission also included an In Camera Examination Summary in which CSIS discussed “possible People’s Republic of China interference” which took place at the 2019 Liberal Party nomination, which was won by MP Han Dong.
Another document showed that there was a “potential foreign interference by a politically connected Canadian” in 2019, however, this person was not named.
The summary said that this person had “not previously been identified as acting on behalf of a foreign state but appeared to have been doing so in the period leading up to the 2019 election.”
“The report initially assessed it likely the actor ‘has already had an impact on the 2019 federal election and will remain a foreign interference threat after the election,’” it noted.
When it comes to the CCP, many Canadians, especially pro-freedom Chinese Canadians, are concerned with the nation’s influence in what is supposed to be a democratic process.
As for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he has in the past praised China for its “basic dictatorship” and has labeled the authoritarian nation as his favorite country other than his own.
espionage
Reporter releases names of 4 Canadian politicians allegedly involved in foreign interference
From LifeSiteNews
Investigative journalist Sam Cooper released a small list of names of those in government he says whistleblowers told him were involved, in some cases wittingly and in other cases unwittingly, in aiding China’s meddling efforts in Canadian politics.
Four politicians along with one government advisor were named as allegedly being involved in a scheme backed by communist China to purposely interfere in Canada’s electoral process.
Investigative journalist Sam Cooper claims that confidential whistleblowers have given him the names of politicians and government workers who wittingly and unwittingly helped China interfere in Canadian politics.
The information came to light Monday during a press conference with Independent Canadian MP Kevin Vuong and Cooper, who were also joined by three foreign interference experts. The group held the press conference to bring to light more details regarding accusations that were made by the House of Commons National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) in the spring of this year.
Thus far, two of those named have denied the allegations, those being Liberal International Trade Minister Mary Ng and Trudeau-appointed Liberal Senator Yuen Pao Woo.
The others named by Cooper include Liberal MP for Steveston—Richmond East, Parm Bains, Guo Ding, who is a journalist as well as an advisor to British Columbia’s recently re-elected Premier David Eby, as well as former Conservative Party senator Victor Oh.
As of press time, none of these individuals have spoken out about the allegations made by Cooper.
In the spring of this year, the NSICOP report implied there were at least 11 unidentified officials who wittingly or unwittingly helped foreign entities, notably China as well as India, in their meddling in the Canadian electoral process.
As for MP Vuong, he has been under investigation for having been targeted by foreign agents and has said that the best solution to “clear the air” is to have all the names in the NSICOP report released.
“Here’s an easy solution to clear the air: Release The Names,” he wrote on X Tuesday in reply to a post from Ng who said it was “unfortunate that Mr. Vuong recently gave Sam Cooper another platform to make insinuations about me, which I categorically reject.”
Vuong shot back at Ng by saying, “is there a reason why you chose to ‘reject’ instead of simply & directly stating that the ‘insinuations’ were categorically false, if they were, indeed, false? Canadians have had enough with word games.”
As for Cooper, he has claimed that no less than three national security sources from Canada’s intelligence agency gave him information that Ng was identified as one of the 11 people named in the NSICOP report. He did note that that intelligence did say Ng was unwittingly implicated in the alleged foreign interference scandal.
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 headed by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, who had earlier said she and her lawyers will remain “impartial” and will not be influenced by politics. In January, Hogue said that she would “uncover the truth whatever it may be.”
As reported by LifeSiteNews, documents from a federal inquiry looking at meddling in Canada’s past two elections by foreign state actors show that agents of the Communist Chinese Party allegedly worked at Elections Canada polling centers during the 2021 campaign.
To date, Trudeau has been coy and has never explicitly stated whether he was ever told by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) that CCP agents’ actions were in breach of the nation’s Elections Act.
A few months ago, the head of Canada’s intelligence agency testified under oath that he gave Trudeau multiple warnings that agents of the CCP were going after Conservative MPs, yet the prime minister has denied receiving these warnings.
espionage
Release the names! Foreign interference scandal reaching boiling point in shocking press conference
Independent MP, Investigative Reporter, Former CSIS Asia-Pacific Desk Chief shed new light on foreign interference
Press conference is hosted by (Former Liberal) Independent MP Kevin Vuong:
- MP Kevin Vuong;
- Sam Cooper, Investigative Journalist;
- Dr. Carles Burton, Senior Fellow Sinopsis;
- Michel Juneau-Katsua, Former CSIS Asia-Pacific Desk Chief.
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