On February, 24, Friday, Canadian investigative journalist Sam Cooper reported that ahead of the 2019 federal elections in Canada, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) had informed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that his Don Valley North candidate Han Dong was involved in the Chinese foreign interference.
#Breaking: My investigation for Global News identifies that PM Justin Trudeau’s senior aides were allegedly briefed by CSIS shortly before the October 2019 federal election, that candidate Han Dong, was suspected to be involved in PRC Foreign Interference.
— Sam Cooper (@scoopercooper) February 24, 2023
Citing sources aware of the investigation in the matter, the Global News journalist claimed that Han Dong is among the 11 “Toronto-area riding candidates” backed by Beijing in the 2019 federal elections.
Moreover, Cooper said that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service began investigating Han Dong in 2019, as Dong emerged as a political successor of the then Member of Parliament Geng Tan in a sudden and suspicious manner.
During the 2019 investigation, it was the ‘circumstances’ under which Han Dong replaced an incumbent Geng Tan attracted the focus of the intelligence officers. CSIS reportedly had received the intelligence input that Beijing was not pleased with Geng Tan’s performance and preferred Dong over Tan.
“The Consulate was not pleased with Geng Tan’s performance,” a national security official aware of the investigation told Global News.
22. CSIS allegedly had intelligence that Beijing preferred Han Dong to Tan. “The Consulate was not pleased with Geng Tan’s performance,” a national security official aware of the service’s investigation told Global News.
— Sam Cooper (@scoopercooper) February 25, 2023
The nomination process for the Liberal Party reportedly alarmed CSIS. Cooper cited sources to support his claims that, among other irregularities, Chinese international students with fake addresses were allegedly bused into the riding (constituency) and pressured to vote for Dong.
4. CSIS investigators would later allege that Chinese Canadian seniors and students were bussed into the riding, and students were told they had to vote for a certain candidate to keep their student visas, sources informed Global News. They said Han Dong was the candidate.
— Sam Cooper (@scoopercooper) February 25, 2023
The service alleged that “Han Dong was a close associate of Michael Chan, who is a target of CSIS,” according to a source with knowledge of the brief.
Cooper claimed that the Canadian intelligence agency suspects that Michael Chan is a Chinese agent providing “secret political information to the Toronto Consulate.“
18. Through sources and documents, which will be quoted in the following thread, I learned CSIS believes Michael Chan is allegedly an agent of Beijing who has secretly provided political information to the Toronto Consulate.
— Sam Cooper (@scoopercooper) February 25, 2023
An official reportedly said that “CSIS was concerned that Han Dong was connected to People’s Republic of China foreign interference in Canada,” “And that Han Dong also was a close contact with Michael Chan, who was a target of CSIS.” However, downplaying the alleged CSIS concerns about Dong, the Liberal Party of Canada allowed him to proceed in 2019, and he won the seat.
Refuting the allegations levelled against himself, Michael Chan who now is the Deputy Mayor of Markham, in a mailed response to Cooper wrote, “This sort of vague innuendo is impossible to respond to. To the extent you are suggesting I am not a true Canadian, you should be ashamed of yourself.”
19. Chan denies the allegations.
— Sam Cooper (@scoopercooper) February 25, 2023
“This sort of vague innuendo is impossible to respond to,” he said in an emailed response. “To the extent you are suggesting I am not a true Canadian, you should be ashamed of yourself.”
Han Dong also denied the allegations of his alleged involvement with the foreign interference network, “As a Member of Parliament, safeguarding Canada’s democratic institutions is a fundamental part of my job, and I take all serious allegations of foreign interference very seriously. I am unaware of the claims provided to you by alleged sources, which contain seriously inaccurate information,” Dong said, in answer to Sam Cooper’s questions in this investigation.
7. “I am unaware of the claims provided to you by alleged sources, which contains seriously inaccurate information,” Dong said, in answer to my questions in this investigation.
— Sam Cooper (@scoopercooper) February 25, 2023
CSIS on foreign interference in Canada
A report by the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology details the take of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) on the foreign interference network.
Foreign interference threatens Canadian sovereignty, national interests, and values, making it one of the most strategic dangers to the country’s security. Foreign interference operations employ a variety of strategies, such as sophisticated cyber tools, state-sponsored or foreign-influenced media, and human intelligence operations.
To further the goals of a foreign state, social media, online sources, and traditional media outlets can all be targeted. Foreign governments that seek to influence public opinion, and discussion, and covertly interfere with democratic participation may also target mainstream media outlets and local sources.
Elections are just one instance of the democratic institutions and processes that state actors might use against them. “C Canada is not immune to these threat activities.”
Some state actors, like the People’s Republic of China, engage in hostile operations that aim to undermine the public’s trust in Canada’s democratic institutions and manipulate and misuse the democratic system to serve their own national objectives.
According to CSIS, it is the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government that poses a threat and not the Chinese Canadians.
CSIS states that China is employing all aspects of state authority to carry out actions that pose a direct threat to our national security and sovereignty as part of a strategy to gain a geopolitical advantage on all fronts, including economic, technological, political, and military.
Chinese illegal police stations operating in foreign countries
the Investigative Journalism Reportika explained in a report published in September last year detailed that the Chinese government had previously opened numerous illegal police stations around the world, including in developed countries such as Canada and Ireland, raising concerns among human rights activists.
Several local media reports claimed that such informal police service stations affiliated with the Public Security Bureau (PSB) have been set up across Canada to vilify China’s adversaries.
According to local media reports, Fuzhou had set up informal police service stations across Canada that are affiliated with the Public Security Bureau (PSB). Three such police stations are located in Greater Toronto Area.
According to the National Post report published last year, Chinese police stations are operating in three locations across Canada as was told by Safeguard Defenders. A private residence in Markham, a convenience store in Scarborough, and the address of the Canada Toronto Fuqing Business Association. According to the Fuzhou police, 30 such stations have already been set up in 21 countries. According to multiple media reports, countries such as France, Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom have such arrangements for Chinese police stations.
Apart from operating illegal police stations, China is also accused of deploying consulates and overseas courts in several countries in an attempt to crush dissent against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
