A new visual guide charts elite influence and Beijing’s political incursions in Canada in an effort to help voters make sense of an increasingly murky landscape.

Growing awareness around the extent of Chinese political influence in Canada through media exposes, intelligence operations (as well as leaks), and public inquiries has revealed a complex landscape of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) infiltration and United Front Work Department (UFWD) influence networks. The threat of foreign interference is particularly salient as the country approaches its 45th general election on April 28 in the wake of evidence a Beijing-backed information operation had tried to sway Chinese-Canadian communities to favor Liberal leader Mark Carney at the ballot box.

In addition to helping voters to identify and counter UFWD agents, making sense of this murky landscape is the goal of “Dotting the Map,” a collaboration by NGOs Canadian Friends of Hong Kong (CFHK) and Found in Translation (FiT).

A visual guide, “Dotting the Map” provides a treasure trove of detail via a cross-sectional view of the network of influence and alliances established by the CCP and UFWD in Canada. This network encompasses relationships between CCP agencies, Chinese businesses, Beijing-supported social organizations disguised as Chinese diaspora civil society, their Chinese-Canadian leaders (many vetted by Beijing), and Canada’s political and economic elite. While charting elite influence and Beijing’s political incursions in Canada, “Dotting the Map” provides networks of association without asserting complicity in illegal activities.

Along with pictorial charts showing business deals and favors to Canadian leaders over the past half-century, advice on identifying and responding to suspicious approaches, including politically-charged questions to gauge responses, is also offered.

Dotting the Map

• Map 1 – Follow the Money, Follow our PMs
• Map 2 – Follow Our Own Money
• Map 3 – From Ottawa to Victoria
• Map 4 – Elite Capture
• Map 5 – Beyond Confucius
• Map 6 – Weaponizing Anti-Racism & Lawfare
• Map 7 – Behind “Grassroots”
• Map 8 – Controlling Narratives
• Map 9 – Mocking Canadian Intelligence and Emboldening Pro-Beijing Voices

Other resources include:

• A list of sample questions voters can ask candidates during an election, and of politicians after they are elected.
• The Four Toxic Traits (4Cs) of United Front work — covert, co-opt, corrupt and coercive.
• Guidance on distinguishing between the PRC and the Canadian Chinese community
• Actionable suggestions for voters on how to resist foreign interference.
• Curated lists of authoritative sources, with links and documents to support the people, institutions, events, and connections mentioned in the maps.

CFHK and FiT are grassroots organizations founded by Canadian citizens of both Hong Kong and mainland Chinese origin. “Dotting the Map” is their joint effort to help the Canadian public to “ask better questions, demand greater transparency, and defend Canadian democracy from PRC interference.”