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By Michael Reeve

CHINESE INTERFERENCE

Election interference becoming ‘increasingly common’: TRU professor

Feb 28, 2023 | 4:20 PM

KAMLOOPS — Political tensions between Canada and China are running high as allegations of Chinese interference in Canadian elections are leveled. News broke last week that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) had warned the prime minister’s office three weeks before the 2019 election about one of their candidates was part of a Chinese interference network. Since that day, opposition parties in Ottawa have called for inquiry into the alleged interference that dates back years before even the 2019 vote.

TRU Associate Professor of Political Studies Robert Hanlon is one of the foremost experts on Chinese politics in Kamloops. As news surfaced of alleged Chinese interference in Canadian elections, Hanlon wasn’t overly surprised.

“It’s something that we always have to be looking out for and taking seriously. I do think in an age of globalization and the increase of power in technology, it’s becoming more complicated and we are always playing catch-up. But, it is something that is increasingly common,” said Hanlon.

Hanlon stated that election interference cannot be a partisan issue and it’s unlikely it was targeted at only the Liberals. He noted the national intelligence agency discovered the alleged meddling almost 10 years ago.

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“Why are we hearing this information almost ten years after the fact that it is out?” asked Hanlon. “What has our intelligence community been able to do in that time? What is the communication between the government and the civil service that is meant to be looking at this? There are a lot of unanswered questions.”

Statistics Canada reported on Monday (Feb. 27) that trade between China and Canada hit record levels last year, with imports breaking the $100-billion mark for the first time.

“On the one hand, we have this very serious security concern, but on the other hand business is booming between the countries. Any foreign government would be looking to gain access to influential economic actors in Canada,” said Hanlon.

At this point, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has yet to yield to calls from the opposition for a full inquiry.