Canada to probe Chinese, Russian interference in elections

TRENTON, Canada

A Chinese woman was ordered to be deported as Canada on Monday began its inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian federal elections.

The Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board said Jing Zhang was a cog in China’s covert foreign interference program while an 11-year employee of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, which the board charges is an espionage arm of the Chinese government.

Beijing has been accused of running so-called Chinese police stations in Canada, set up to silence criticism by Chinese Canadians of China.

The inquiry is known by the cumbersome name the “Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Election Processes and Democratic Institutions.” It was ordered after Canadian media used anonymous intelligence agencies personnel and classified documents to cite China as interfering in federal elections in 2019 and 2021.

The commission will also investigate Russian and Indian interference along with that of other countries.

While the inquiry is independent of the government and public, the first question facing the commission is how much information to keep secret amid security concerns.

Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue said the probe comes with “the challenges, limitations and potential adverse impacts associated with the disclosure of classified national security information and intelligence to the public.”

“This is one of the biggest challenges that the commission will face,” Hogue said in a media statement.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) Director David Vigneault and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc are expected to appear before the commission this week.

The commission will try and determine how to safeguard Chinese Canadians who appear at the inquiry. CSIS says some have already been targeted with threats to keep them from testifying.

There has been no time limitation set on the commission.