Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has alleged that foreign countries may be trying to meddle in his country’s internal affairs, and vowed to oppose these malign attempts at interference.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, the prime minister said that the Canadian government has sought to improve the integrity of “election processes” in the country and that it is going to continue investing “in the fight against election interference, against foreign interference in our democracies and institutions."
"Unfortunately, we're seeing countries, state actors from around the world, whether it's China or others, are continuing to play aggressive games with our institutions, with our democracies," he added.
Earlier, local media reported, citing intelligence officials, that China had allegedly funneled money to political candidates in Canada and that Chinese operatives acted as campaign advisers in the country.
This scheme was allegedly directed from the Chinese consulate in Toronto, with the media further claiming that China also sought to introduce operatives into the offices of serving Canadian MPs.
Chinese officials in Canada reportedly did not respond to the media outlet’s inquiries regarding the allegations in question, however, Beijing has consistently denied allegations of meddling.
3 November 2022, 09:38 GMT
Canada, however, is not the only country to mount such accusations against China, as several US media outlets previously alleged that “Chinese government-affiliated cyberactors” sought to influence voters in the United States ahead of this year’s midterm elections in the country.
A cybersecurity company called Mandiant also claimed they observed an influence campaign called DRAGONBRIDGE, which seems to be “operating in support of the political interests of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), aggressively targeting the United States by seeking to sow division both between the US and its allies and within the US political system itself.”
Mandiant’s head of global intelligence Sandra Joyce told media that they’ve allegedly seen evidence of Beijing “sponsoring information operations discrediting democracy and due process in elections in the United States.”
This year, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 seats in the 100-member Senate, 36 state governorships, three US territory governorships and numerous city mayorships and local offices are at stake at the November 8 midterms in the US. According to the latest polls, the Republican Party is projected to gain control over both houses of the Congress, taking 237 out of 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 51 out of 100 in the Senate. Meanwhile, the Democrats might take 198 seats in the House and 49 seats in the Senate.