The Prime Minister says it would ‘seem very improbable that the Chinese government would have a preference for the government’ of Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives to take part in public hearings for an independent commission probing alleged foreign interference in Canadian elections in Ottawa on April 10.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discounted the effectiveness of Chinese election interference and questioned the reliability of intelligence by Canada ’s spy agency about Beijing -directed influence operations during testimony at the public inquiry into foreign meddling.
When it comes to foreign interference, Mr. Trudeau said diplomats might boast to their superiors about something that occurred in Canada but that doesn’t mean they were responsible for what transpired. “Bragging is not doing,” he said. The February, 2023, briefing document in question ended with a warning that better protecting Canadian democratic institutions against foreign interference “will require a shift in the government’s perspective and a willingness to take decisive action and impose consequences on perpetrators.” It said foreign interference will persist until it “is viewed as an existential threat to Canadian democracy and governments forcefully and actively respond.
Mr. Trudeau told the inquiry that he first learned of alleged irregularities from national campaign manager Jeremy Broadhurst, now a senior adviser in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Csis Government Beijing Interference Inquiry Election Canada Intelligence Markham Michael Kovrig Liberal
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