Election interference in Canada: Former targets speak [Video]

OTTAWA –

A Conservative MP who was targeted by Beijing told a federal inquiry Wednesday that Canada has become “a playground” for foreign interference. 

Michael Chong, the Tory foreign affairs critic, said the federal government should shed its culture of secrecy and disclose more information about threats to better inform the public. 

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Chong said while the vast majority of intelligence must remain secret, keeping too much information under wraps results in leaks that undermine institutions.

The inquiry’s latest public hearings are focusing on the capacity of federal agencies to detect, deter and counter foreign meddling.

Chong has long been critical of China’s human rights record. In May 2023, the federal government confirmed a media report that Canada’s spy service had information in 2021 that the Chinese government was looking at ways to intimidate Chong and his family.

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