China inquiry names 13 ridings allegedly targeted by foreign agents

AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein and The Canadian Press / Adrian Wyld

Canada’s China inquiry disclosed 13 ridings suspected of foreign interference that favoured Liberal candidates in the 2021 general election.

“There is a strong case to be made there was a degree of influence exerted by an outside actor in the Chinese community during the 44th general election,” alleged the Conservative Party in a secret Memorandum For The Clerk Of The Privy Council. 

The Official Opposition stated, “From speaking with campaign teams and regional organizers we believe this influence negatively impacted our standing in these seats.”

Liberal MP Ken Hardie of Fleetwood-Port Kells, one of four Metro Vancouver ridings named, had quietly informed the Canadian Security Intelligence Service after the election, leading to allegations of electoral irregularities.

“I asked for a meeting with CSIS,” Hardie said in an interview. “We had an in-person meeting. They wanted to know what I knew.”

Former CPC MP Kenney Chiu tells the Commission he severed ties with family in Hong Kong to protect them when he entered politics.

He says he feels betrayed by the Canadian government, that knew all about his targeting by the CCP and did nothing.

"I was drowning, and they were… pic.twitter.com/mWAKSxf9fD

— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 3, 2024

On Tuesday, the Commission into Foreign Interference learned that Hardie received voter suppression concerns from his Conservative challenger, Dave Hayer, “a man I consider a friend.” 

Hardie’s then campaign analyzed data at select polls with large Chinese Canadian constituencies, and discovered anomalies that impacted 1,500 votes in the riding, reported Blacklock’s Reporter. “We saw a shift but we couldn’t put it down to one factor or another,” he said.

Ultimately, the Liberal member of Parliament claims the interference did not affect the outcome, as the incumbent won the by-election by 6,797 votes.

Moreover, former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu of Steveston - Richmond East firmly believes a coordinated Chinese campaign on WeChat cost him re-election. 

Chiu lost his riding after 4,400 fewer Conservative supporters voted for him in 2021 than in 2019 — of which nearly half translated into Liberal votes.

Former BC Conservative MP Kenny Chiu said his private member's bill to establish a foreign-agent registry provoked China's network in Canada to ensure he did not win in his re-election bid.https://t.co/YbMqjkHIZA

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) February 22, 2023

The lame-duck member of Parliament claims his private member's bill to establish a foreign-agent registry provoked Chinese agents to work against his re-election bid.

"When I [went] door knocking…there have been supporters of mine who just shut the door in my face," said Chiu. "There [was] so much hatred that I sense."

Richmond Centre, also named in the memorandum, saw Conservative incumbent Alice Wong, who earned more than 17,000 and 19,000 votes in 2015 and 2019, respectively, have her vote count plummet by almost 6,000 votes in 2021. She lost to her Liberal counterpart, who only gained 2,000 votes from the previous election.

Each riding is home to large populations of Chinese Canadians, according to voting tallies.

When former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu claimed that part of his electoral defeat in 2021 was because he had been targeted by foreign influence from China, his critics summed up the claims as the cry of a sore loser.

FULL REPORT by @DreaHumphrey: https://t.co/n7ApYYPqbU

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) March 22, 2023

Conservative organizers documented numerous irregularities, testified Walied Soliman, co-chair of the 2021 Conservative campaign. However, they did not publicize their concerns following the election.

“At no time did Erin O’Toole or any member of his team try to make a Trumpian assertion that the election was lost by the Conservatives because of foreign interference,” said Soliman. 

“We believed at that point there was something wrong that was happening,” he testified. “We didn’t quite understand it.”

The Party provided a document outlining their concerns and suspicions that an ‘outside actor’ in the Chinese community negatively influenced Conservative candidates in 13 ridings. However, the Privy Council dismissed the September 24, 2021 complaints but acknowledged their allegations were detailed with numerous exhibits. 

“Agencies were unable to conclude there was a clandestine campaign to influence the outcomes of the 13 ridings identified by the Conservative Party,” said the Memorandum For The Clerk.

China News Service has entered the Foreign Interference Commission dialogue; claims are that it was an outlet used to attack Conservatives in the last election.

Unfortunate news for Justin Trudeau’s volunteer and media liaison, who relayed his announcements back to China.… https://t.co/HAa6gKstWu pic.twitter.com/XS8hKMvY7d

— Andy Lee - Special Rebel Rapporteur (@RealAndyLeeShow) April 3, 2024

The Conservatives noted the proliferation of anti-Conservative media content on WeChat as cause for concern because it expressed outright support for the Liberal Party of Canada.

Of the other nine ridings named in the document, they are all centralized in the Greater Toronto Area, reported Blacklock’s Reporter.

Conservatives pointed to Markham–Unionville, the riding of former MP Bob Saroya, as another area of concern. Saroya, who won the suburban Toronto seat in 2015 and 2019 as the lone Conservative Toronto-area seat, received 24,605 votes or about 3,000 more than his Liberal challenger.

In 2019, he received just over 26,000 votes, but support plummeted by more than 7,000 in 2021, leading to his electoral defeat. His Liberal counterpart, Paul Chiang, earned nearly 22,000 votes — only 1,500 more votes than the previous Liberal candidate.