It may have all started with the Trudeau family — and now Canadians, too foolish and broke to resist — are stuck with Chinese election interference.Considering one planeload of Chinese soldiers could overcome Canada’s entire military-surveillance complex, it’s a problem — so are Chinese police stations in Canada and the illegal harassment of Canadians.Another Chinese election interference scandal in Canada is making headlines. Paul Chiang, the Liberal MP and candidate for Markham-Unionville, during a January Chinese-language media event, suggested that people could claim a HK$1-million bounty from Hong Kong police by turning Conservative candidate Joe Tay over to the Chinese consulate in Toronto.Chiang dropped out of the election on Tuesday after the RCMP said it is looking into the matter..Tay, a critic of Beijing with a bounty on his head for alleged national security violations, was running in Don Valley North. Chiang’s remarks, reported by Ming Pao, sparked outrage for allegedly endorsing foreign interference and transnational repression.He apologized, calling it a “lapse in judgement,” but Liberal Leader Mark Carney stood by him, labelling it a “teachable moment,” despite calls from Conservatives, NDP, and advocacy groups to remove him as a candidate.It reflects poorly on Canada. And it may have all started with the Trudeau family.A $200,000 donation years ago to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation by Chinese businessmen with ties to Beijing sparked controversy and scrutiny over foreign influence on Canadian institutions.The donation, made in 2016 by Zhang Bin — a wealthy businessman and political adviser to the Chinese government — and his associate Niu Gensheng, formed part of a larger $1-million pledge that also supported university scholarships and a proposed statue of former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. .Reports from The Globe and Mail in February 2023, citing a Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) source, alleged the donation had been orchestrated by China as part of an influence operation targeting Justin Trudeau after he became Liberal leader in 2013.CSIS reportedly captured a 2014 conversation in which a Chinese diplomat instructed Zhang to make the donation, promising reimbursement from Beijing.Only $140,000 of the pledged $200,000 reached the foundation, delivered in two payments of $70,000 each. The foundation, a registered charity that supported academic research, returned the $140,000 in March 2023 after the allegations emerged. .President Pascale Fournier said at the time, “We could not keep any donation that may have been sponsored by a foreign government and would not have knowingly done so.”However, efforts to reimburse the funds faltered, with Radio-Canada reporting the foundation couldn’t find an entity to accept the payment, as the cheques came from a corporation, not the named donors.The controversy led to Fournier and the entire board resigning in April 2023, citing the “politicization” of the donation. They promised an independent review, to be conducted by an accounting firm and overseen by a law firm with no prior ties to the foundation.Meanwhile, former prime minister Justin Trudeau, who lauded China, distanced himself, noting he had not been involved with the foundation bearing his father’s name for over a decade. Critics, including opposition leaders, questioned the donation’s implications amid wider concerns about Chinese interference in Canadian elections.
