The Chinese Communist Party’s operations in Canada are deep and sophisticated, a new report from Alliance Canada Hong Kong makes clear.
“In order to achieve Beijing’s objectives, the party-state apparatus utilized globalization as a path to power. To preserve its ideological, economic, and party interests, the Chinese authorities actively interfere in the political systems of liberal-democratic countries to shift political environments towards China-friendly politicians and policies.”
Canada is far from immune to this strategy. In Plain Sight: Beijing’s Unrestricted Network of Foreign Influence in Canada examines the nature and breadth of the foreign influence, interference, and intimidation operations happening in our country
Seven tactics that the CCP and its affiliates employ in these operations include:
- Political influence
- Elite capture
- Surveillance & intimidation
- Information and narrative discursion warfare
- Academic influence & vulnerability of intellectual property
- National security
- United Front Work Department
Canada is not currently well-prepared to deal with the scope of this problem, the authors write. Systematic changes and a whole-of-government approach to dealing with authoritarian regimes is necessary.
“Canada lacks a comprehensive foreign interference framework to address these issues. As we enter into a new geopolitical era, a foreign interference framework must be a priority for all levels of governments in Canada.”
The report provides several recommendations for how to address the issue:
- Create a foreign influence transparency scheme that creates a public registry of individuals, organizations, and representatives who are actively acting on behalf of foreign states and their affiliates in Canada
- Implement cohesive federal policy to regulate collaboration with foreign entities
- Establish a public commission on foreign influence
- Increase funding for Canadian innovation
