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Canada's media regulator testified it never considered action against Chinese media for election interference. An Elections Canada investigation concluded foreign broadcasters allegedly spread ‘disinformation’ during recent federal elections.

At the Foreign Interference Commission (FIC), the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) revealed allied states deplatformed a Chinese state-owned broadcaster following complaints it aired confessions elicited through torture. The CRTC did not take similar action, reported The Bureau.

Another example found the U.S. State Department designated China-owned media as foreign agents. Canada’s media regulator has not taken similar action, claiming it requires guidance from Global Affairs Canada to make that determination, the Commission heard.

Foreign agents typically co-opt publishers trying to make a living on a “shoestring budget,” testified Victor Ho, the Vancouver editor of Sing Tao Daily.

“The majority of local Chinese media have been influenced if not outright controlled by the Chinese Communist Party for years,” he told Commission lawyers. Chinese Canadians, especially recent immigrants from the mainland, have “long been caught in the crosshairs of political discourse, disinformation and propaganda originating from the Chinese Communist Party,” said Ho.

Ronald Leung, a Sing Tao columnist and radio host, testified the ethnic press was vulnerable to coercion, reported Blacklock’s Reporter.

CRTC exec says that the agency has a complaint before it that a CCP-linked channel broadcasted forced confessions but they don't have the mechanism to properly investigate and ban the channel.

But the broadcast regulator is investigating Fox News and rewriting the rules to ban… pic.twitter.com/cxOGAvDEuM

— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) October 1, 2024

Scott Shortliffe, the regulator’s Executive Director of Broadcasting, told Commission lawyers that Canada lacks sufficient oversight to safeguard its elections. The CRTC lacks the ability to investigate whether Chinese media interfered in Canadian elections, he contends.

Shortliffe then confirmed that CRTC staff have never been briefed on foreign interference. “This is very new for the CRTC,” he said. 

The executive also said that Chinese media poses a serious threat to Canada’s national security, confirming previous Commission submissions. The CRTC had no direct knowledge of these concerns, he claimed.

Documents pertaining to an investigation by Elections Canada said foreign-controlled media targeted incumbent Conservative MP Kenny Chiu through WeChat and online media. It contends CRTC laws may have been breached but did not recommend charges under Canadian laws.

“Interview subjects reported that both print media and radio stations were primarily owned by China or Chinese entities. Information gathered indicates that impetus and direction were given by PRC officials for the anti-Conservative Party of Canada campaign,” reads the investigation. 

“The overall campaign was carried out and amplified via a multi-pronged and layered approach using Chinese Canadian Association individuals, Chinese Canadian business interests, as well as pervasive social media, printed, digital, and broadcast media messaging,” it added.

Most Chinese language media in Canada are "influenced if not outright controlled" by the Communist Party, ex @SingTaoCanada editor testifies, details "a prolonged period of manipulation" in news coverage.  https://t.co/L6tZxp3rtq #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/VkEGIONCnc

— Blacklock's Reporter (@mindingottawa) October 2, 2024

A Commission lawyer then asked Shortliffe if China gave direction for regulated broadcasters to amplify partisan messaging. 

“Could that be a breach of a regulation or a condition of service?” they said. “It could be,” replied Shortliffe. “We need to look at specific cases through a public process.”

The Commission lawyer followed up with an inquiry on amplifying such messaging, and whether that constitutes a breach of regulation. “It could be,” Shortliffe said. He directed further questions to the CRTC commissioners.

“It is difficult to reach that balance where we support freedom of expression and enforce rules,” Shortliffe said.

There are CCP-linked channels broadcasting in Canada, but, the CRTC is going to rewrite the rules so that they can ban Fox News for anti-LGBTQ sentiment.

This is Scott Shortliffe, a CRTC exec, telling the truth about the censorship plan for Fox when he was asked about the ban… pic.twitter.com/HZJ3mFdzoL

— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) October 1, 2024

In May, the CRTC contemplated a ban on Fox News cable packages after an LGBTQ advocacy group filed a complaint against the American media corporation. 

She accused then-host Tucker Carlson of propagating falsehoods about transgenders, such as painting them as “violent” and “dangerous.” The allegations stem from March coverage of a transgender shooter who killed six staff and students at a Christian academy in Nashville, Tennessee.

Eagle Canada argued Fox News, a non-Canadian broadcaster, should be fined or lose their licence for broadcasting abusive content. 

The regulator consulted the public on whether to ban Fox cable packages from Canada. They accepted submissions until June 2, with 70% favouring a ban.

Thousands of Canadians weighed in, with one commenter calling Fox "a propaganda outlet which undermines the democratic ideals of Canada.”