PMO Knew About Chinese Interference in Two Elections, Did Nothing, Then Tried to Hide It

OTTAWA – An internal PMO document obtained by CanadaPress reveals that the Prime Ministers Office was briefed on active Chinese government interference in both the 2019 and 2021 federal elections — and chose not to publicly disclose it, inform opposition parties, or take any countermeasures. The document, marked SECRET and dated July 2019, warns that Beijing had established influence networks targeting at least 17 ridings with significant Chinese-Canadian populations. The PMO was worried that going public would damage bilateral trade relations, said a former senior advisor who was present at the briefing. The logic was essentially: we know Beijing is interfering, but if we say anything, they might get upset and stop buying Canadian canola. So we said nothing. When news of the interference eventually broke in 2023 after the appointment of a special rapporteur, the government downplayed the severity, claiming the interference did not affect the outcome of the elections. Critics noted that the government cannot simultaneously claim the interference was harmless and that it was appropriate to keep it from the public. The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa declined to comment but pointed to a statement issued in 2022 calling allegations of interference baseless and fabricated by anti-China elements.

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