A top-secret Canadian Security Intelligence Service briefing prepared for the Prime Minister’s Office in February last year said Beijing had “clandestinely and deceptively interfered in both the 2019 and 2021 general elections.”
The classified document, dated Feb. 21, 2023, was drafted in response to media stories, including one in The Globe and Mail, that outlined a sophisticated campaign by China and its proxies to interfere in the 2021 election. The document was made public on Monday, when it was tabled at the Commission of Inquiry into Foreign Interference.
“We know that the PRC clandestinely and deceptively interfered both in the 2019 and 2021 general elections,” the document said, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
In both cases, it said, China’s interference was “pragmatic in nature and focused primarily in supporting those viewed to be either ‘pro PRC’ or ‘neutral’ on issues of interest to the PRC government.”
The document said that there had been 34 previous CSIS briefings on foreign interference for the PMO, senior ministers and top civil servants, including officials responsible for election integrity. Those briefings were held between June, 2018, and December, 2022, it said. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had at least two briefings, one in February, 2021, and one in October, 2022.
The foreign interference inquiry, headed by Quebec Court of Appeal Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, was announced by the federal government in September, after months of reporting by The Globe and other media on meddling by China in Canadian democracy, including the 2019 and 2021 elections. The inquiry is now nearing the end of two weeks of public hearings on election interference by China and other foreign countries.
Mr. Trudeau has dismissed foreign interference, particularly in the 2021 election. He has accused the Conservatives of being sore losers and insisted the overall results of that election, in which the Liberals were returned with a minority, are not in doubt.
Erin O’Toole, who was leader of the Conservatives during the 2021 election, has acknowledged that the Liberals won. But he told the inquiry last week that his party lost as many as nine seats because of Chinese state-sponsored disinformation campaigns.
The document explained that Canadian intelligence officials considered it likely that China had transferred $250,000 to Canada for foreign interference operations during the 2019 election. In the 2021 election, the document said, Canadian intelligence had found that China was bent on defeating Conservative candidates, and that it had waged a disinformation campaign against Mr. O’Toole and Conservative MP Kenny Chiu, who was defeated in that campaign.
In 2021, China’s foreign interference activities “were almost certainly motivated by a perception that the Conservative Party of Canada was promoting a platform that was perceived to be anti-PRC,” the document said. “We also observed online and media activities aimed at discouraging Canadians, particularly of Chinese heritage, from supporting the Conservative Party, leader Erin O’Toole, and particularly Steveston-Richmond-East candidate Kenny Chiu.”
The document said multiple cabinet ministers and senior officials had been briefed on the “role of co-optees and proxies in the PRC foreign interference efforts” in Canada. “Until [foreign interference] is viewed as an existential threat to Canadian democracy, and governments forcefully and actively respond, these threats will persist,” it added.
The commission heard on Monday from senior officials who sat on the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol panel, which had a mandate to warn the public during the past two elections if there were serious concerns about foreign interference.
One official who served on the panel, Nathalie Drouin, a former deputy minister of justice and currently Mr. Trudeau’s national security and intelligence adviser, told the inquiry Monday that the panel did not have concrete proof of China’s activities against the Conservative Party in the 2021 election.
In both 2019 and 2021, Ms. Drouin said, the panel did not want to issue warnings about China’s activities for fear of alarming the public.
“There was some risk that any intervention by the panel can create more harm than good. It had the potential to create confusion and also to be seen to be interfering in a democratic exercise, and we want also to make sure we are not seen to be taking a partisan position in any debate,” she said.
Gib Van Ert, counsel for Conservative MP Michael Chong, who CSIS has said was targeted by China in the 2021 election, asked the panel why they didn’t put out a warning in Mandarin that the information being spread about Mr. Chiu was false.
David Morrison, who in 2021 was acting national security and intelligence adviser and is now deputy minister of foreign affairs, replied that it was up to Mr. Chiu to debunk the false information. “It is not the panel’s role to decide what is true or what is false,” he said.
Ms. Drouin was asked why the panel had alerted the Liberal Party about possible interference from China in the Liberal nomination race in Don Valley North, where Han Dong ultimately became the candidate and later won the riding in the 2019 election. CSIS had information that international students from China had been bused to the nomination meeting, and that the Chinese consulate in Toronto had pressed them to vote for Mr. Dong.
Ms. Drouin said the panel had informed the Liberals as a “mitigation” measure. Mr. Van Ert told Ms. Drouin that informing the Liberals doesn’t seem to have achieved any mitigation. He noted that Mr. Dong is now an MP.
Former privy council clerk Janice Charette, who chaired the panel in 2021, said the group was confident that the year’s election, including races in individual ridings, was fair and unaffected by foreign interference.
Ms. Drouin said she was satisfied the 2019 election was conducted fairly.
But according to a summary of Mr. Morrison’s previous closed-door testimony with the inquiry’s counsel, which was disclosed publicly Monday, he briefed the government in the weeks after the 2021 election on a “significant piece of intelligence” involving potential foreign interference from an unnamed country.
“He viewed this intelligence as the closest thing to a ‘smoking gun’ that he had seen during his tenure” as national security adviser, the summary said.
When questioned at the inquiry on Monday, Mr. Morrison said he was unable to identify the country or provide any further information in a public setting.
Duff Conacher, co-ordinator of the advocacy group Democracy Watch, said on Monday that he is concerned that the federal civil servants who run election monitoring units lack independence. He suggested this makes them unwilling to take steps to expose and stop foreign interference.
“Almost everyone who monitors foreign interference for the federal government has been appointed by, and serves at the pleasure of, the ruling party cabinet, and the rules they operated under were aimed at covering up instead of exposing and stopping interference,” Mr. Conacher said.
“Given their lack of independence from the ruling party cabinet, it is not surprising to see that Canada’s watchdogs over foreign interference are defending the government’s enforcement record during the 2019 and 2021 elections.”
Lawyers for human rights groups tabled a motion at the inquiry on Monday intended to address concerns that crucial evidence is being made available to them and other parties at the last minute, giving them little time to read the documents before grilling government witnesses.
The lawyers told Justice Hogue on Monday that the late filings are a violation of procedural fairness.
Justice Hogue said she understands that “some feel that they don’t have the necessary time to prepare their cross examination properly.” She ruled that she will make some modifications to the hearings.
Sarah Teich, counsel for the Human Rights Coalition, noted that Privy Council documents were tabled after CSIS Director David Vigneault and Privy Council Office official Allen Sutherland had already testified last week. Mr. Sutherland helped set up a special election oversight task force composed of senior civil servants, known as the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force, or SITE.
Ms. Teich requested that Mr. Vigneault and Mr. Sutherland be recalled for further examination. Justice Hogue said she would allow the lawyers to submit written questions to the two men.
The commission will wrap up this round of public hearings on Wednesday with testimony from the Prime Minister and senior cabinet ministers. Another set of hearings is scheduled to take place in the fall.
In a move that sent shockwaves through British Columbia’s political landscape, B.C. United leader Kevin Falcon announced on Wednesday that his party would suspend its campaign for the upcoming provincial election and throw its support behind John Rustad’s resurgent B.C. Conservatives. This unprecedented decision has left political watchers and analysts scrambling to make sense of the ramifications for the province’s political future.
Kevin Falcon, who took the reins of the B.C. Liberals—now rebranded as B.C. United—in February 2022, delivered the stunning news at a press conference that left many in disbelief. The former cabinet minister, known for his confidence and assertiveness, appeared uncharacteristically somber and introspective as he explained the rationale behind his decision.
Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, observed the stark contrast in Falcon’s demeanor. “This is a man who has always exuded confidence, even cockiness, throughout his political career. But today, he seemed on the brink of tears, visibly struggling with the weight of this decision,” Kurl noted. The emotional toll of Falcon’s announcement was evident, underscoring the gravity of the situation both personally and professionally for the B.C. United leader.
The roots of B.C. United’s collapse can be traced back to two key decisions made by Falcon: the expulsion of John Rustad from the party and the controversial rebranding from the B.C. Liberals to B.C. United. Rustad, who was removed from the party in February 2023 for questioning climate change science, quickly capitalized on his dismissal by revitalizing the dormant B.C. Conservative Party. Since then, Rustad has attracted a growing number of former B.C. United MLAs and candidates to his cause, turning the B.C. Conservatives into a formidable political force.
The decision to rebrand the B.C. Liberals as B.C. United, which was meant to signal a fresh start for the party, has been widely criticized as poorly timed and poorly executed. Bill Bennett, a former Liberal cabinet minister, lamented the lack of public understanding of the new brand. “There was no real effort to rebrand and help the public grasp who B.C. United was. The entire process lacked sufficient resources, which ultimately led to its failure,” Bennett said.
Political scientists have been quick to analyze the implications of Falcon’s decision to suspend B.C. United’s campaign. Stewart Prest, a political science lecturer at the University of British Columbia (UBC), expressed shock at the sudden turn of events. “This was a party that, just moments ago, was preparing to compete in this election. To suddenly wave the white flag and step aside in favor of another party is unprecedented. We haven’t seen anything quite like this before,” Prest remarked.
The move has also raised questions about Falcon’s leadership and the future of B.C. United. Gerald Baier, an associate professor of political science at UBC, suggested that Falcon’s decision to expel Rustad may be viewed as the pivotal moment in his leadership. “If Falcon could go back and change one decision, it would likely be the expulsion of Rustad. That move set off a chain reaction that ultimately led to the party’s collapse,” Baier explained.
With B.C. United stepping aside, the B.C. Conservatives are now positioned to become the main opposition to the ruling B.C. NDP in the upcoming election, scheduled for October 19. However, the transition will not be without its challenges. The Conservatives will need to decide which B.C. United candidates to include on their slate, a process that could leave some candidates and voters in a state of uncertainty.
As the political landscape in British Columbia shifts dramatically, the upcoming election promises to be one of the most closely watched and hotly contested in recent memory. The decision by Falcon to back the B.C. Conservatives has not only upended the election but has also reshaped the future of politics in the province. As the dust settles, all eyes will be on John Rustad and his ability to capitalize on this newfound momentum.
In conclusion, Kevin Falcon’s decision to suspend B.C. United’s campaign and endorse the B.C. Conservatives marks a pivotal moment in British Columbia’s political history. The move has raised numerous questions about the future of B.C. United, the leadership of the B.C. Conservatives, and the upcoming election itself. As the province braces for what promises to be a highly volatile election season, one thing is clear: British Columbia’s political landscape will never be the same.
VICTORIA – British Columbia’s auditor general says his office has found no evidence of a conflict of interest in the handling of provincial grants for the zero-emission vehicle sector, after an accusation by a truck maker earlier this year.
Michael Pickup says in a statement the investigation looked into accounting firm MNP’s handling of Advanced Research and Commercialization grant applications, reviewing “a significant amount of information” from the company, the government and all applicants.
Pickup says the results show no evidence MNP wrote grant applications for clients, influenced the evaluation process to benefit clients or used its administering of the program to “recruit” clients for the company’s other services.
In April, the provincial legislature unanimously directed Pickup’s office to examine allegations by electric-hybrid truck maker Edison Motors that MNP was both administering the grants and offering services to help businesses with applications.
The Office of the Auditor General says the allegations from Edison, which is based in Merritt, B.C., suggested MNP “was offering to write grant applications in exchange for a success fee while also deciding who received grant funding.”
MNP said at the time that the allegations were “false and misleading.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 28, 2024.
Certain solar farms will be banned on prime agricultural land in Ontario as the province expands energy production to meet demand in the coming decades, Energy Minister Stephen Lecce said Wednesday.
Ontario is looking to add some 5,000 megawatts of energy to the grid, with Lecce directing the Independent Electricity System Operator to secure “technology agnostic” energy resources. That means the province will use a mix of natural gas, hydroelectric, renewables, nuclear and biomass energy sources, he said.
But the province is making efforts to protect key agricultural areas in the process, the minister said.
Ground-mounted solar panels will be prohibited on prime agricultural farmland, said Lecce, who pledged the province would “never misuse” those lands.
“Our farmers need more energy more than ever,” Lecce said.
“They need access to to affordable energy and so we made a commitment to work with them on a policy that ultimately will respect prime agricultural land.”
Other energy products being considered on prime agricultural land will now require an impact assessment before proceeding.
The province is also giving power to municipalities to decide if they want a particular energy project.
“Long gone are the days where Queen’s Park imposes projects on unwilling communities, undermining those agricultural areas,” Lecce said.
The news is welcome to farmers, said Drew Spoelstra, the president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.
“The new energy procurement framework is a major step forward for Ontario,” he said.
“Reliable and affordable energy is incredibly important to the growth of the Ontario economy, including food production, food processing and the agri-food sector.”
Farmers and Premier Doug Ford’s government have had an up-and-down relationship in recent years in light of the Greenbelt scandal.
The province had said they were going to build 50,000 homes on the protected Greenbelt, which includes prime agricultural land. But several investigations by provincial bodies found the process was flawed as it favoured some developers with ties to the government over others.
Farmers did not like the possible encroachment onto farmland and joined the chorus to denounce the Greenbelt move. Last summer, amid mounting public pressure to reverse course, Ford walked back those Greenbelt plans.
Lecce’s announcement Wednesday comes as the province’s electricity demand is expected to grow by about two per cent each year, although that could be even higher depending on electrification within the broader economy.
The IESO has said the province will need at least 60 per cent more energy by 2050.
Ontario has also recently been adding electricity storage projects, with an eye to about 2,500 megawatts, and the IESO said the province’s emerging battery fleet will pair well with wind and solar, so that the power generated by those methods can be stored and injected into the grid when needed.
Ford cancelled 750 renewable energy contracts shortly after his Progressive Conservatives formed government in 2018, after the former Liberal government faced widespread anger over the long-term contracts with clean power producers at above-market rates.
The province is also moving ahead with nuclear energy expansion, including seeking to refurbish units at the Pickering nuclear plant, build small modular reactors at the Darlington nuclear plant and exploring a new, large-scale plant at Bruce Power.
In 2021, the electricity system was 94 per cent emissions free, but that is now down to 87 per cent as it uses natural gas to meet demand.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 28, 2024.
