Although proposed solutions vary widely, the groups said some foreign governments are targeting members of diasporas in Canada through harassment, surveillance, the spread of disinformation and online threats.
The research said diaspora communities are often the first victims of interference from foreign governments. Several representatives also recommended that Canada strengthen its immigration controls to prevent foreign agents from entering the country by falsifying their backgrounds.
Gloria Fung, former president of Canada-Hong Kong Link and an advocate for establishing a foreign agent registry, said the Chinese government poses a major threat to national security and has infiltrated all levels of government in Canada.
Canada is one of the most infiltrated liberal democracies of allFung told the investigation.
Fung said that by targeting Canada, China can access sensitive information from the United States. Canada also has technology and natural resources that China needs, he added.
Gloria Fung recommended several measures, including appointing an independent commissioner to monitor foreign interference, amending Canada’s laws to include transnational repression, and having Elections Canada provide policy guidelines and protocols for participating in nomination contests in constituencies and party leadership regarding verification of participants’ Canadian citizenship, membership dues, and party donations.
“For us now it is a matter of life and death,” said Moninder Singh of the British Columbia Council of Gurdwaras, referring to India’s interference in Canada.
Foto: Radio-Canada / Christophe Barachet
For Canada’s Sikh community, the issue of foreign interference goes far beyond elections and misinformation, said Moninder Singh of the British Columbia Council of Gurdwaras.
For us now it is a matter of life and deathhe said, pointing to the murder of Canadian Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which occurred in June 2023 in British Columbia.
In September 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament that there were credible allegations of a possible link between Nijjar’s murder and Indian government agencies.
Singh told the inquiry that he and other Sikh leaders had been warned by Canadian officials that their lives were in danger and called for more protection for members of the Sikh community.
He also called for an investigation into the Indian government’s involvement in Nijjar’s murder and said Ottawa must end information exchanges with India.
Russian-born Canadian Svetlana Koshkareva, a supporter of Ukraine, warned that Russia has been waging cognitive warfare in Canada for years, amplifying propaganda through social media and influencers to sow social divisions and erode trust.
Koshkareva called for the establishment of an institution to respond to cognitive warfare and said Canada should push for real-time online posts to be removed and for repeat offenders to be banned from the platforms.
Tamil community activist Katpana Nagendra said the Sri Lankan government monitors Tamil human rights activists in Canada, threatens them and labels them terrorists. She called on the Canadian government to take action on the actions of the Sri Lankan government.
Judge Marie-Josée Hogue presented her initial report in which she stated that there was foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, but that this had not affected the results.
Foto: The Canadian Press / Adrian Wyld
A Canadian academic who testified before the public inquiry into foreign interference on October 2 described the spotlight on foreign interference in universities as a modern era witch hunt.
A Chinese-Canadian university professor, who was granted anonymity by the investigation, said that Chinese-Canadian professors work under a climate of suspicion and that new research security policies have made collaboration with Chinese academics difficult.
This year, he said, 17 of the 20 Chinese researchers who were supposed to participate in a workshop in Canada were unable to obtain visas.
Spy hunting at universities is almost a modern witch hunthe said, adding that Canadian universities are losing top talent and top performers don’t feel welcome in Canada.
Foreign interference and racial tensions
Teresa Woo-Paw, president of the Canadian Foundation on Race Relations and former provincial cabinet minister in Alberta, said reports of foreign interference in Canadian elections are also driving a rise in anti-Asian racism.
He said they are urging Chinese Canadians to stop donating to political parties because they fear they will be seen as interfering. Although some members of this diaspora aspire to hold public office, many feel that now is not the time, explained Teresa Woo-Paw.
The foreign interference investigation, led by Judge Marie-Josée Hogue, was established following media reports in Canada that accused China of interfering in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.
In his initial report, made public in May, Hogue concluded that although cases of foreign interference may have occurred in a small number of electoral districts, this did not affect the overall election results.
The investigation continued this October 3 with statements from witnesses from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service and members of the panel in charge of alerting Canadians about significant attempts at electoral interference.
Source: CBC / E. Thompson
Adaptation: RCI / R. Valencia
