OTTAWA, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — Despite a continuous stream of evidence suggesting that agents of the Communist Chinese Party (CCP) have interfered in Canada’s last two federal elections, the nation’s elections commissioner omitted any mention of China from her annual foreign interference report to Parliament last week.
Last week, Canadian Elections Commissioner Caroline Simard, when speaking about her “Annual Report” said – while noticeably not mentioning China by name – that it is “clear the issue of foreign interference weighs heavily on Canadians’ trust in Canada’s institutions and the democratic process.”
She then assured Canadians that investigators were looking into how they could resolve as “many files as possible before the next general election” concerning complaints made regarding possible election meddling, but that as of now, it is too “early” to “determine the outcome of the ongoing work and if the review will lead to formal measures.”
“Safeguarding the integrity of our elections requires the participation and collaboration of a wide range of partners and stakeholders as well as all Canadians,” she added.
Canada’s Elections Act specifically bans foreign interference, however, Simard contended that the current situation remains a “complex issue that may go beyond the elements regulated by the Act.”
Despite her assurances that the federal government is taking the issue of meddling seriously, in May of this year Simard dismissed 116 complaints concerning potential interference by the CCP or other nations.
In the same month as the 116 dismissals by Simard, Conservative MP Michael Chong disclosed that he had been personally threatened multiple times by who he believed to be a diplomat named Zhao Wei who was acting as an agent of Communist China. Chong said the threats were concerning enough that he had to call the police out of concern for his safety.
After the scandal broke, Wei was kicked out of Canada. The Communist Chinese government retaliated by expelling a Canadian diplomat shortly thereafter.
Notably, Simard’s report does not mention the facts concerning Wei and only makes vague references to “foreign third parties” acting through Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs. Her report did mention, however, that it was “highly probable” China’s Embassy in Ottawa had initiated a WeChat slander campaign in an attempt to discredit Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s main rival, the Conservative Party of Canada.
The potential meddling in Canada’s elections by agents of the CCP has many Canadians worried, especially considering Trudeau’s past praise for China’s “basic dictatorship” and his labeling of the authoritarian nation as his favorite country other than his own.
On September 7, the federal government announced it would be launching a public inquiry into potential foreign election interference, to be led by Quebec judge Marie-Josée Hogue.
The public inquiry came after Trudeau for months was opposed to the idea of launching a full public inquiry into CCP election meddling despite calls from the opposition to do so – and after a failed attempt to launch his own internal investigation.
His internal investigation was led by his “family friend” David Johnston, whom he tasked as “special rapporteur” in the inquiry process. Opposition Conservative MPs demanded Johnston be replaced over his ties to both China and the Trudeau family.
After Johnston concluded that there should not be a public inquiry into the matter, calls grew louder for him to resign. In June, Johnston quit as “special rapporteur.”