Politicians including a Liberal M-P and a senator say they fear allegations of Chinese interference in the 2019 federal election will lead to anti-Asian racism.
But opposition critics, including some who say they have borne the brunt of such racism themselves, are accusing them of deflecting legitimate questions that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must answer.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, Liberal M-P Han Dong suggests claims of Beijing’s interference have been light on detail, saying he has “a big target” on his back.
Last month, Global News reported that after the 2019 election, senior officials briefed Trudeau about a “vast campaign of foreign interference” allegedly waged by China’s consulate in Toronto.
The allegations, which The Canadian Press has not been able to verify, involve the Chinese Communist Party flowing funds to a pro-Beijing network in Canada that included at least 11 Liberal and Conservative candidates who ran in that election.
Non-partisan officials, including the chief electoral officer, have stressed that they believe the election was conducted fairly.
Dong argues the reporting has left unanswered questions that could cause people to make assumptions based on anti-Asian tropes.
Advocacy groups have documented a disturbing spike in racist incidents against Asian Canadians since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
