Trudeau's advisor refused to discuss China's interference in Canadian politics.
On Friday, there was a meeting of the Prime Minister Trudeau's office with conservatives and journalists. Read about its agenda and outcomes from us.
Disputes over the alleged intervention of the Communist Party in the 2019 and 2021 elections in Canada continue. Chinese authorities deny their involvement, arguing not only that it is difficult to influence the will of citizens in another country, but also because they have no interest in Canada's internal politics. China exports few goods to Canada, so relations with the country are not important to them. As they say in China, "China has no friends, only interests." The United States, its largest exporter, is of much greater concern to them.
However, Canadian conservatives do not trust Chinese diplomats. They believe that the intervention of the communists cost them several seats in government and led to the victory of the liberals. On Friday, they were rebutted by Katie Telford, Trudeau's chief advisor, who has been leading the prime minister's administration since his appointment in 2015.
During a conference, she stated that the prime minister's office is aware of the alleged attempts by China to influence Canadian elections, but the rumors about them are exaggerated, and some of the information published by Globe and Mail is false.
The event turned out to be not very informative: Katie is bound by state secrets and cannot disclose details of the investigation, which she repeatedly pointed out, fending off attacks from conservatives. They still demand that the investigation be conducted publicly and all known information be declassified. The ruling party, headed by Telford, objects that this could threaten the country's security. The advisor herself also stated that she came to the meeting to demonstrate to conservatives and democrats the liberals' readiness for cooperation and goodwill, but she has neither the right nor the competence to answer questions about national security.
In this, Katie is supported by the former director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Ward Elcock. He said that, in his opinion, Telford answered the questions as much as she could, given the limitations imposed by her position. He believes that calls for Telford to testify were "always a little silly."
"To be honest, I don't think it matters or does any good. The calls to Katie Telford to testify were primarily a political demonstration," Elcock said. "There's no real reason for Ms. Telford to testify. She simply doesn't have the necessary information to help with the investigation."
However, at the conference, not only the liberals but also their conservative opponents were unable to say anything concrete. For example, they stated that their former colleague from the closed-door meeting, Bob Saroya, received a text message from the Chinese Consul General in Toronto warning him that he would lose the 2021 election. Saroya represented Markham-Unionville since 2015 but lost his seat in 2021. When asked to provide additional information about the text, they told journalists to contact the former MP for details. They also did not show the message itself.
The conflict between the ruling party and the opposition promises to be protracted but unproductive. So far, nothing specific or impressive is known about China's assistance to the liberals, and all suspicions are based on assumptions and facts that may not be related to it. For example, in 2015, Pierre Trudeau's foundation did receive a donation from two Chinese businessmen. However, this organization finances scientific research and has no influence on the country's politics, and Trudeau Jr. is not affiliated with it. Moreover, the origin of the donors does not yet indicate their connection to the Communist Party, let alone prove that they acted on its orders.
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Some Canadians have already started to link the entire situation to racism. In their view, the mistrust of Chinese diplomats, patrons, and Canadian politicians of Chinese origin is a sign of hatred towards Chinese people rather than a quest for justice.
Only time will tell who will be right. We invite you to investigate together with us, as we will monitor the development of events and promptly publish information. Follow us on social media to be the first to know everything.
