Media Personnel: Responding to CCP Interference Becomes a New Focus of Canada’s Election

Canada is set to hold a general election on April 28, with the incumbent Liberal Party Member of Parliament Paul Chiang announcing his withdrawal from seeking re-election due to controversial remarks aligning with a wanted order issued by the Hong Kong police national security branch. Senior Canadian media figure He Liangmao stated that Chinese Communist Party (CCP) interference in elections has become a significant election issue in addition to tariffs and economic matters, with the Paul Chiang incident causing a public relations disaster for the Liberal Party that is likely to impact the election.

In an interview with The Epoch Times, He Liangmao said, “Paul Chiang’s decision to withdraw from the election finally confirms that his remarks in January regarding the ‘arrest’ of Zheng Jingji, wanted by the Hong Kong SAR government, have caused a serious public relations disaster for the Liberal Party. This led the party leadership to swiftly overturn the decision to support Paul Chiang’s re-election.”

In December of last year, the Hong Kong police national security branch issued wanted orders with a reward of 1 million Hong Kong dollars for six overseas pro-democracy activists, including Canadian citizens Zheng Jingji and He Liangmao.

Paul Chiang, the current Member of Parliament for Markham—Unionville, mentioned Zheng Jingji, who was seeking nomination for the Conservative Party in the same constituency, during a media event for ethnic minorities in January, stating, “If those present could take him to the Consulate-General of China in Toronto, they could claim the million-dollar reward.”

Following the early announcement of the Canadian government on March 23 of the upcoming general election, human rights groups translated Paul Chiang’s remarks into English, sparking widespread outrage. Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader Mark Carney continued to support Paul Chiang’s candidacy on March 31, citing an apology made by Paul Chiang regarding his offensive remarks. However, on the same day, Paul Chiang ultimately released a statement announcing his withdrawal from the election.

He Liangmao stated that the main focus of this election was originally on two key issues – the potential tariffs from former U.S. President Trump and Canada’s economic problems, but now CCP interference has become another major factor. Carney’s initial support for Paul Chiang’s candidacy was a wrong decision that is likely to harm the Liberal Party in this election.

Analyzing the events, He Liangmao believes that the flip-flopping decisions made by the federal Liberal Party leadership in this incident demonstrate Carney’s failed crisis management and a lack of firsthand information on grassroots sentiment in local constituencies. This has led to a negative perception of the Liberal Party among the general public.

He Liangmao further remarked that Carney’s refusal to replace Paul Chiang was out of fear of the CCP. The densely populated city of Markham, where Paul Chiang is located, has become a “third of the models of the Chinese Communist ‘liberated areas,'” a region under a red terror. Markham Deputy Mayor Chen Guozhi has been identified by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service to have close ties with the CCP, expressing support for the CCP on multiple occasions, including endorsing the crackdown on protesters during Hong Kong’s 2019 anti-extradition bill protests.

He pointed out that the infiltration of the CCP in Canada began several decades ago, especially after the events of June 4th, 1989, when the CCP reorganized its overseas united front network. Methods included controlling votes through established Chinese community groups, setting up new organizations, buying off media outlets, launching disinformation campaigns on social media platforms, and monitoring Chinese residents’ activities through communication applications like WeChat.

He criticized the Liberal Party’s decade-long tolerance of CCP interference, stating that it has led to rampant foreign interference today, not only from the CCP but also from Russia, India, and Iran. Of these influences, CCP’s intervention is the most severe, especially in the major cities of Vancouver and Toronto, where the CCP’s influence is extensive.

In January of this year, a government-sanctioned investigation report in Canada also revealed attempts by the CCP to interfere in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian elections. This interference included the spread of false information by pro-CCP media about former Conservative Party MP Zhao Jinrong, who was unsuccessful in seeking re-election in 2021. The report criticized the government for reacting slowly to foreign interference but concluded that foreign intervention did not significantly impact the election results.

However, He Liangmao, who testified at the investigation hearings, believed that claims of no influence on election results were not factual, pointing out that three to five Conservative Party seats were lost due to CCP interference in Ontario.

At the hearings, He Liangmao also stated that the CCP manipulates Chinese media and social platforms, attacking anti-CCP candidates with false information during elections, intervening in the electoral process, and executing cross-border repression, posing a threat to Canada’s national security.

Paul Chiang’s remarks in January were initially published in Chinese-language newspapers and did not garner much attention until recently. Why the sudden focus now? He Liangmao explained that this incident was brought to light by an advocacy group to the media after the official Canadian report on foreign interference was released, making Paul Chiang’s remarks a case study of foreign intervention. The timing coincided with Carney’s announcement of the election on March 23, creating a news story that intersected with elections and foreign interference, leading to extensive coverage by Western media outlets, putting the Liberal Party in a difficult position.

The Toronto Association for Democracy, a group supporting democracy in China and Hong Kong, translated the controversial remarks into English and distributed them to the media. Several mainstream Canadian media outlets reported on the incident and published comments, urging Paul Chiang to withdraw from the election.

Various human rights organizations and Hong Kong advocacy groups issued statements condemning Paul Chiang, accusing him of violating the Foreign Interference and Information Security Act by using intimidation, threats, or violence to influence others under foreign directives, urging the police to investigate.

Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, took to social media to criticize the Liberal Party’s complacency towards CCP’s foreign interference, emphasizing their disregard for national security for the sake of their party interests. He demanded that Paul Chiang be immediately removed from the Liberal Party’s list of candidates.

In an interview, Pierro Poilievre questioned whether Carney had been compromised by the CCP, alleging that Carney obtained a $250 million loan from a state-owned Chinese bank in November last year, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest.

Jenny Kwan, a New Democratic Party Member of Parliament who has been targeted by the CCP due to her advocacy for Chinese and Hong Kong human rights, condemned Paul Chiang’s support for the CCP’s transnational repression, criticizing the Liberal Party for not taking the matter seriously.

Zheng Jingji, the individual targeted in Paul Chiang’s remarks, released a statement on March 31, urging Carney to disqualify Paul Chiang as a Liberal Party candidate, emphasizing, “This kind of threat is a common tactic used by the Chinese Communist Party to interfere in Canadian affairs. This is not just about me. They want to create a chilling effect on the entire community, forcing everyone to comply with Beijing’s political objectives.”

The Canadian police confirmed that an investigation would be launched into Paul Chiang’s remarks.

In December of last year, the Hong Kong police issued wanted orders for six overseas Hong Kong residents, including Canadian citizens Zheng Jingji and He Liangmao. Zheng Jingji, a former TVB artist who immigrated to Canada and established an online program “Hong Kong Channel,” has been supportive of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong but was accused by the Hong Kong police of incitement to secession and collusion with foreign or overseas forces to endanger national security under the National Security Law.

Melanie Joly, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, responded at the time, stating, “Hong Kong authorities are attempting cross-border oppression, including issuing threats, intimidation, or coercion against Canadians or those in Canada. Such behavior will not be tolerated.”

He Liangmao, who was targeted for helping to establish the “Hong Kong Assembly” with Zheng Jingji, emphasized that their actions did not violate any Canadian laws and fell within the realm of freedom of speech, adding, “Canada will not support the harsh and cruel bounties set by the (Hong Kong) National Security Law.”

Since the implementation of the National Security Law in Hong Kong in 2020, the Hong Kong government has issued wanted notices for at least 19 overseas Hong Kong residents. On March 31 of this year, the U.S. Department of State imposed sanctions on six CCP and Hong Kong officials involved in cross-border repression, including Secretary for Justice Lin Dingguo, Police Commissioner Siu Tse-yi, and Director of the Hong Kong National Security Office Dong Jingwei.