Diaspora groups and organizations provide examples of foreign-directed activities aimed at undermining human rights advocacy and the democratic process in Canada.

By Noé Chartier | The Epoch Times

Summary

The Foreign Interference Commission heard testimony from diaspora communities in Canada about the impact of disinformation and foreign meddling, particularly from Beijing.

Advocates including Pixing Zhang for Falun Gong practitioners highlighted how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) targets Chinese people, using disinformation to undermine human rights advocacy and the democratic process. Zhang described instances of CCP disinformation campaigns and their influence on Canadian politicians.

Other groups, such as Uyghurs, Tibetans, and supporters of Taiwan independence, also reported being targeted by Beijing’s transnational repression.

The commission is examining the federal government’s response to foreign interference, including the introduction of Bill C-70, which creates new offences and establishes a foreign influence registry. Advocates called for the legislation to be reviewed and updated after the 2025 federal election, with additional regulations to address misinformation, elite capture, and transnational repression.

The commission is currently holding public hearings, with officials from CSIS and the RCMP testifying. Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue is expected to submit a final report by the end of the year. An interim report released in May indicated that while foreign meddling did not impact the overall results of the 2019 and 2021 elections, it could have potentially impacted individual ridings. 

To read this report in full, see the publisher’s website here.

Further Reading

Why China’s Interference in Canada’s Election Mattered