Canada's Trudeau launches probe into China election meddling, to appoint special investigator

Ottawa: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he will appoint an independent special investigator to probe into the alleged Chinese interference in the recently held Canada elections.

Reviewing foreign interference in his country’s elections, Trudeau said the reports challenging Canada’s “sovereignty” are alarming and “strike us to our very core as Canadians”.

The independent special rapporteur will review classified reports about the 2019 and 2021 national elections and will list out recommendations for future contests.

Special investigator will have wide mandate

“I will be appointing an independent special rapporteur, who will have a wide mandate and make expert recommendations on combating interference and strengthening our democracy,” the Canadian Prime Minister said.

Trudeau further said the rapporteur has not yet been chosen and the appointment will be made in the coming days.

In a statement on Monday, Trudeau said: “Today, we’re taking even further action to protect our democratic institutions, to defend their integrity, and to uphold and strengthen confidence in our democracy. We will always take foreign attempts at undermining our democracy very seriously.”

The Canadian Prime Minister further said that he had asked members of parliament and senators in the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (Nsicop) to launch an investigation to “assess the state of foreign interference” in the country’s federal electoral process.

Also Read: ‘Completely false and nonsensical’, says China; refutes allegation of interfering in Canadian elections

Trudeau also said he would appoint an “eminent Canadian” who will have powers to make recommendations on “protecting and enhancing” democracy in Canada, including holding a public inquiry or another formal independent review process.

Canada aware of China’s meddling

The Prime Minister said that Canada has long been aware of meddling attempts by China, as well as Iran and Russia.

“The countries, as well as several other non-state actors, have attempted to interfere not only in our democracy, but our country in general,” Trudeau said, adding, “This is not a new problem.”

In recent weeks, a series of reports by the Globe and Mail newspaper and broadcaster Global News mentioned about leaks from Canadian intelligence sources and detailed alleged attempts by China’s Communist Party to interfere in the last two federal elections.



China dismisses reports

Meanwhile, Chinese officials have dismissed the reports as “purely baseless and defamatory” and as “hype”.

China further said that it has no interest in interfering with Canada’s internal affairs.

Last week, the Angus Reid Institute released a poll in which around 65 per cent of Canadians said they believe that China attempted to meddle in both recent federal elections.

Two-thirds of Canadians also expressed the need for the federal government to do more to combat election meddling.

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