A House of Representatives committee has revealed from testimony by Canadian intelligence officials that communist Chinese agents are targeting Canadian parliamentarians and officials with foreign interference.
“We are very concerned about targeting. There is certainly a desire to target elected officials at all levels of city, state and federal government,” said the Canadian Security Intelligence Agency. (CSIS) Deputy Director Michel Tessier said in the House of Representatives. Proceedings/Proceedings Standing Committee (PROC) November 1st.
Tessier is answering questions from Conservative MP Blaine Calkins about growing concerns that China is influencing politicians and officials around the world and controlling the policies of foreign governments. rice field. Calkins defended Meng Wanzhou, a Chinese telecom company Huawei executive who was arrested by the RCMP in 2018 over a US extradition request, while defending the controversial former Canadian ambassador to Beijing. Pointed out John McCallum.
Tessier said her organization “sees foreign interference activity” in Canada, and that such interference activity is on the rise. It added that the “threshold that affects the integrity of
“I am aware that the Chinese Communist Party is involved and interested in promoting its own national interests,” Tessier said. “They are actors of foreign interference, and we have said it publicly. We can once again state our concern about the activities of the Chinese Communist Party regarding threats to Canada, including foreign interference. .”
“We know that China, among other countries, targets elected officials at all levels of government to promote its national interests and to encourage individuals to speak and act … the Communist Party of China. as an agent of
Former CSIS intelligence officer Michelle Juno Katsuya told the House Committee on Information Access, Privacy and Ethics on Aug. It said it monitors MPs, MPPs and local government politicians.
“What we do know for sure is that there are various foreign countries that have been successful in recruiting elected officials, and they have been able to influence like cities, states or federal and CEO of The Northgate Group, a security consulting firm.
“It was [happening] Ahead of time, and it’s still happening. ”
China’s unofficial police station
At the PROC meeting, Calkins also raised questions about the reports of unofficial Chinese police stations established in Canada and dozens of other countries around the world.
The existence of such Chinese police outposts was first reported by the Spain-based NGO Safeguard Defenders. In his September report, the group said China has more than 50 police stations, which he said were created and run by two local-level police agencies. national media.
Chinese authorities say these police stations have persuaded up to 230,000 Chinese nationals to “voluntarily” return to China between April 2021 and July 2022 to face criminal proceedings. touted as successful. The Chinese government’s “involuntary repatriation” operations, including “operation fox hunting” to track down suspected criminals fleeing abroad. However, NGOs noted that such anti-crime campaigns also target non-suspects and their families in China.
The RCMP recently said it was investigating reports from three overseas Chinese police stations in the Toronto metropolitan area, including two in Markham and one in Scarborough.
Tessier declined to provide details of the investigation when asked what steps Canadian intelligence agencies were taking to monitor this threat.
“We are using all necessary authority to investigate potential threats to our community,” she said. It is very important to us that we do not become victims of intimidation against foreign actors who seek to intimidate them or their families.”
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Andrew Chen is a reporter for the Epoch Times based in Toronto.