Canadian Politicians Were Targeted by China in 2021

A top-secret intelligence report drafted a week before Canada’s 2021 general election warned about ongoing attempts by the Chinese government to meddle in specific races, saying that Beijing had “identified Canadian politicians considered” to be opponents of China.

Those politicians had become the targets of a shadowy media campaign, with suspected links to the Chinese government, that spread “false narratives” about them and encouraged Canadians to vote against them...

The Chinese government is believed to have backed candidates considered friendly to Beijing, most of whom belonged to Mr. Trudeau’s Liberal Party, according to the Canadian news media.

By contrast, the Chinese government is believed to have opposed candidates of the Conservative Party, which took a harder line on human rights and a host of other issues related to China. The intelligence report drafted a week before the 2021 election said that the media campaign aimed “to discourage voters from voting for the Conservative Party.”