Canada has become ‘playground’ for foreign interference, Tory MP Chong tells inquiry

OTTAWA — A Conservative MP who was targeted by Beijing told a federal inquiry Wednesday that Canada has become “a playground” for foreign interference.

Michael Chong, the Tory foreign affairs critic, said the federal government should shed its culture of secrecy and disclose more information about threats to better inform the public.

Chong said while the vast majority of intelligence must remain secret, keeping too much information under wraps results in leaks that undermine institutions.

The inquiry’s latest public hearings are focusing on the capacity of federal agencies to detect, deter and counter foreign meddling.

Chong has long been critical of China’s human rights record. In May 2023, the federal government confirmed a media report that Canada’s spy service had information in 2021 that the Chinese government was looking at ways to intimidate Chong and his family.

Chong told the inquiry he was disappointed to learn about Beijing’s efforts by reading a newspaper story.

Soon after the story appeared he was given details at a high-level briefing, but he believes he should have been informed much earlier.

Chong pointed a finger at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, saying he or a delegate should have granted authorization for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service to inform him sooner of China’s intentions.

Global Affairs Canada said in August 2023 it believed that Chong had been the victim of a foreign smear campaign, which the department suspected was conducted by Beijing.

The department said a co-ordinated network of news accounts on the social media app WeChat posted a large volume of false or misleading narratives about Chong from May 4 to 13 of that year.

Chong cited that episode as a better way of handling such events.

“They informed me about it, they made the information public,” he said Wednesday.

“I think that’s an example of how things should be made public.”

However, he expressed concern about an interaction that took place a year ago, saying he was approached by a person who offered to help as a volunteer with elections and by providing advice.

Chong told the inquiry the person seemed familiar, and a little research indicated they had been dismissed from a job years earlier at the Privy Council Office for disloyalty to Canada and being an agent of the Chinese government.

Chong said the PCO subsequently told him all records about the individual had been destroyed.

Following his testimony, Chong told reporters it was “astounding” that the Canadian government did not have any information as to whether the person is a present threat to parliamentarians.

“It’s another example of a government that has failed to make national security a priority and to protect the security of our democratic institutions.”

An unclassified summary of intelligence tabled Wednesday at the inquiry says some MPs have been targeted by Beijing in relation to “their positions on a number of issues of relevance” to China. “This is mainly through overt influence activities, but CSIS assesses that some have also been targeted through clandestine, deceptive and/or coercive activity.”

New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan, who has been identified as a target of clandestine Chinese influence activities, expressed concern at the inquiry about the ability of federal structures to address foreign interference.

“We actually really have to catch up with other jurisdictions.”

Kwan cited a need for an “independent structure, one that is accountable and divorced from politics,” to take the lead and drive actions that must be taken to protect Canada’s national interest.

Former MP Erin O’Toole told the inquiry that when he was Conservative leader he considered removing a senator from the party caucus over some sponsored travel as well as apparent support for a Chinese state-owned enterprise in Ontario.

“I had allegations that I could not verify. I had no warnings from intelligence agencies if they were aware of it,” O’Toole said.

“And the concern that some of my caucus members expressed to me was that if I took a rash decision about removing a member, I could be accused of racism, I could be accused of not allowing someone the right to respond.”

In the end, O’Toole did nor remove the member, but he asked the party’s Senate leader to “sit the person down for a very stern talking-to about the appropriateness of conduct and what was inappropriate, in my view, as the leader at the time.”

O’Toole said the events highlighted a larger problem, that there was no mechanism to seek guidance from CSIS.

“I’m hoping that the inquiry can explore changes and modernization to allow our Parliament to function with the appropriate level of professional guidance, warnings, briefings, education.”

O’Toole rose in the House of Commons in May 2023 to say that CSIS had told him in a recent briefing that, while party leader, he was the target of Chinese interference intended to discredit him and promote false narratives about his policies.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press