Justin Trudeau’s Markham outreach days before the 2019 vote ‘important’ for securing key Chinese votes, CCP report says.

By Sam Cooper | The Bureau

Summary

An elite Chinese Communist Party organ has released a highly detailed analysis of interference by the People’s Republic during Canada’s 2019 federal election.

The Communist Party-led All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese (ACFROC), an organization that seeks to bolster the Party by leveraging support from Chinese populations abroad, is a key agency within the CCP’s United Front system. Its analysis of how the CCP sought to amplify its reach through diaspora networks in Canada underscores the complex interplay between local politics and foreign influence, raising alarm about the integrity of Canada’s electoral processes.

The report, published by ACFROC in 2021—and unpacked for the first time by the Canadian investigative news outlet, The Bureau—highlights Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s personal campaigning efforts in crucial ridings in the Toronto area.

The document points directly to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s targeted outreach…including his high-profile appearance in Markham just before the election. This area has been central to recent allegations of election interference, involving 11 candidates allegedly supported by Beijing in the 2019 contest. Trudeau’s appointment of Markham-area MP Mary Ng as the only Chinese Canadian in his cabinet is also prominently noted. Both Trudeau and Ng have rejected any suggestion that the Liberal Party has been entangled in Beijing’s electoral interference.

In its analysis, ACFROC revealed Beijing’s approval of 41 ‘distinguished’ Chinese candidates nominated by various political parties in 2019, achieving a reported election ‘success rate of 20 percent,’ an increase from previous elections (27 in 2015 and 23 in 2011).

Charles Burton, a respected sinologist and former Canadian diplomat in China, interprets the use of “distinguished” to describe candidates as indicative of those aligned with CCP objectives.

The report foregrounds the part played by the WeChat messaging app as a tool for mobilizing voters and circulating political narratives within the Chinese community. It similarly gives mention to the Chinese Canadian Committee of 100 (CCS100), an organization linked to Beijing’s United Front influence campaigns, as a significant player in voter mobilization and fundraising. The committee’s connections to political donors and involvement in promoting candidates aligned with its objectives have raised questions about its influence on Canadian politics.

ACFROC’s analysis reflects findings from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), which reported systematic interference by Beijing in Canadian elections, particularly through WeChat.

In its recommendations for enhancing CCP influence through diaspora networks in Canada, ACFROC suggested moving beyond “last-minute” campaign tactics like fundraising dinners and candidate forums, and shifting toward sustained voter education and the strategic cultivation of political talent within the diaspora.

Read The Bureau’s full breakdown of the ACFROC report at the publisher’s website here.