No reports of Chinese interference in Canadian election, chief electoral officer says
\nSpencer Van Dyk
\nCTV News Parliamentary Bureau Writer, Producer
\nFollow | Contact
\nUpdated Nov. 22, 2022 8:45 p.m. EST
\nPublished Nov. 22, 2022 8:05 p.m. EST<\/p>\n
Elections Canada\u2019s Chief Electoral Officer St\u00e9phane Perrault told MPs on Tuesday that he has not received any reports about China interfering in the 2019 federal election.<\/p>\n
Perrault\u2019s comments were made in response to Global News reporting that China allegedly interfered with Canada\u2019s 2019 federal election, partly by funding the campaigns of at least 11 candidates, and that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was briefed about the allegations in January. CTV News has not independently verified Global News\u2019s reporting, which Trudeau has also disputed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my opinion, there’s no reason to believe that it was not a free and fair election,\u201d Perrault told the House of Commons Procedure and House Affairs Committee several times during his hour-long appearance on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve not received any reports regarding specific instances of non-compliance with the legislation or specific instances of Chinese interference in the election,\u201d he also said.<\/p>\n
Perrault said he has the utmost respect for the media, but that it would be \u201cpremature to draw conclusions\u201d from media reports apart from investigations by the Commissioner of Elections Canada.<\/p>\n
In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for the Commissioner of Canada Elections (CCE) Caroline Simard confirmed that her office has received a complaint from the Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois related to allegations of foreign interference, and that it reviews all complaints it receives.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe CCE takes all complaints seriously and, where appropriate, conducts a thorough investigation. It is only at the conclusion of a review or investigation \u2013 and only in cases where formal compliance or enforcement action is taken \u2013 that limited information is made available to the public and the media,\u201d said spokesperson Myriam Crousette in an email.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, under questioning by reporters, Trudeau pointed to the independent committee in place throughout the 2019 and 2021 federal elections to ensure there was no interference from foreign entities. In both instances, Trudeau said he was assured by that body that \u201cthe integrity of our elections was not compromised.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also repeated that he was never briefed about China financing Canadian electoral candidates.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has never been any information given to me on the funding of federal candidates by China,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Canada\u2019s relationship with China took centre stage last week after a tense exchange between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trudeau at the G20 summit in Bali was caught on video.<\/p>\n
In the video, Xi tells Trudeau it was \u201cinappropriate\u201d for him to share with the media what the pair discussed during a private meeting. Earlier in the week, Canadian officials told reporters travelling with the delegation that Trudeau had discussed China\u2019s alleged interference activities in Canada with Xi.<\/p>\n
Referencing Trudeau\u2019s statement that he was never briefed about electoral interference by China during the 2019 election, Deputy Conservative Leader Melissa Lantsman tweeted that it\u2019s \u201chard to imagine complaining to the President about something you hadn\u2019t been briefed on.\u201d Since the reports first surfaced, the Conservatives have been calling for the government to be more forthcoming about the allegations.<\/p>\n
At Tuesday\u2019s committee meeting, Perrault explained that \u201cthere were eyes on the ball\u201d leading up to the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, partly out of concern about possible instances of foreign interference. But he said no reports had been made to his office about specific cases.<\/p>\n
Justice Minister David Lametti was also asked about the reports on his way into a cabinet meeting Tuesday. He told reporters that security services are taking the situation seriously.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a serious issue,\u201d Lametti said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re dealing with matters of national security, you have to move in a very prudent fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cObviously there\u2019s a need for transparency, but there\u2019s also a need for our security services to protect their sources, to protect the methods in which they gather their intelligence, all of that is important, so we need to act prudently.\u201d<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.ctvnews.ca\/politics\/no-reports-of-chinese-interference-in-canadian-election-chief-electoral-officer-says-1.6164658<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"