China

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Chinese Communist agents are targeting MPs, senators and political aides, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service yesterday told the House affairs committee. “We are very concerned about targeting,” testified Michelle Tessier, deputy director.

“We know the Chinese Communist Party is involved and interested in promoting its own national interest,” said Tessier. “They are a big actor in foreign interference.”

“Did the Chinese Communist regime interfere in the last federal election?” asked Conservative MP Michael Cooper (St. Albert-Edmonton). “As you can appreciate I can’t get into operational details of our investigations,” replied Deputy Tessier.

“Are current parliamentarians or senators or volunteers in various campaigns or staff members working for Members of Parliament or senators that Parliament should be made aware that could potentially be compromised?” asked Conservative MP Blaine Calkins (Red Deer-Lacombe, Alta.). “We are very concerned about the targeting,” replied Deputy Tessier. “We know there is certainly a desire to target elected officials at all levels of government.”

Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault said he was unaware of any Chinese interference in the 2019 or 2021 federal elections. Perrault acknowledged his office did not have investigative powers to follow all leads. “I recognize it’s a challenge,” he said.

“How reasonable would it be to assume these kinds of things are happening so covertly we wouldn’t be aware?” asked MP Calkins. “It’s quite possible that some of that is happening and that is a matter of concern,” replied Electoral Officer Perrault.

“I think that’s why we have national security agencies to look into these matters,” said Perrault. “I do not have that mandate or capacity to look into that.”

A former Canadian security agent in August 9 testimony at the Commons ethics committee said CSIS had names of public office holders known to have taken payments from foreign agents. “There are elected officials at all levels whether it’s municipal, provincial or federal who are being paid by foreign governments,” testified Michel Juneau-Katsuya, former chief of the Asia-Pacific desk at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

“It is still happening,” said Juneau-Katsuya. “Foreign agents try to recruit elected officials. It’s fairly easy because elected officials don’t necessarily listen to security guidelines to protect themselves.”

“What we know for sure is we have various foreign countries that succeeded in recruiting elected officials – again, municipal, provincial or federal – and were capable of influencing this way,” he said. “We see that also, when we see at the end of their mandate, cabinet ministers going to work for a foreign company that works directly against national security and the national interests of Canada.”