In a Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) memorandum that mentioned China 28 times, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was advised to avoid singling out the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The five-page memo, entitled Memorandum For The Prime Minister, is dated June 29, 2017; the Trudeau Liberals at the time were negotiating a free trade deal with China. It notes it would be wise to avoid public criticism of China after detailing evidence Communist Party agents were operating illegally in Canada, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. “The Canadian Security Intelligence Service describes Chinese foreign influence activities in Canada as sophisticated, pervasive and persistent,” said the top secret memo presented at the Commission on Foreign Interference Wednesday. “Although there are other countries conducting foreign influenced activities in Canada the People’s Republic of China is the most active.”However, Trudeau in the memo was directed not to criticize China publicly. “This is a very sensitive issue and public efforts to raise awareness should remain general and not single out specific countries to avoid potential bilateral incidents,” it said.The memo said Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agents sought to “influence the outcomes of Canadian elections;” “pressure or influence Canadian officials” and “influence the publication of Canadian media content which portrays the Chinese government negatively.” Agents also resorted to “intimidating and threatening behaviour” against Chinese Canadian dissidents, said the censored memo. “This could be deemed illegal by Canadian courts. Canadians of Chinese ethnicity and those who are publicly critical of People’s Republic of China policies are most frequently subject to such threatening behaviour.”.On December 12 2017, six months after he received the memo, Trudeau discussed the trade deal with China in the House of Commons “We are engaged in trade negotiations toward Asia, whether it is the Comprehensive And Progressive Agreement For Trans-Pacific Partnership, whether it is China,” Trudeau said. When he was appointed ambassador to China in 2017, John McCallum pledged to push “free trade discussions.”“I am going to China to work for broader and deeper ties between our two countries,” said McCallum.Federal research at the time demonstrated Canadians have low interest in free trade with China. An in-house Privy Council study, International Relations Survey, shows 64% of participants said they opposed free trade with China due to its “poor human rights record.”When asked if they would support a trade pact offering Canadian consumers cheaper China-made goods, 26% called it “a weak argument.”
