So, the Commissioner of Elections Canada spent four years successfully hounding a Canadian news outlet about ‘improper’ election lawn signage. But, in approximately the same time frame, it struck out nailing Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spies interfering in Canadian political affairs.Gotcha! It said when it levied a $3,000 fine against Rebel News and had the appealed decision upheld by the federal court.Yet despite hundreds of complaints about CCP interference, federal election monitors couldn’t manage to sniff out any — none, not one — Chinese agents infiltrating Canada and committing nefarious deeds, the ongoing China inquiry heard.The optics are bad.Non-answer explanations from an agency that should be nonpartisan don’t help. Unless people called in to testify offer clear recollections and explanations of events, Canadians should be sceptical about getting their money’s worth from an anticipated $11 million inquiry into why multiple warnings of illegalities by Chinese agents were ignored.Investigators with the mandate to enforce and ensure compliance with the Elections Act and administer penalties downplayed the allegations. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) documented evidence that China “clandestinely and deceptively sought to influence the 2021 federal election” in a memo entitled Threats To The Canadian Federal Election states.This doesn’t inspire critically-needed confidence in the growing number of Canadians concerned about Chinese foreign interference and a safe electoral process. That includes Chinese Canadians, allegedly chased by CCP operatives, after they managed to flee communism hoping to freely sing 'O Canada' (and not the 'March of the Volunteers,' the CCP national anthem.)Canadians are, with good reason, suspicious enough about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s integrity. And his allegiances. When it comes to China, its big cheerleader Trudeau fell short of waving pom-poms when he expressed admiration for that crushing communist system. It's complicated, the Commission on Foreign Interference was told when asked why expenses and resources seemed to focus on the news network, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.Really? To this observer, it seems rather simple.The hounds must be unleashed against domestic ‘threats’ who are merely critical of Trudeau.But foreign threats, Chinese agents who bribe, threaten and terrorize Canadians so the CCP can infiltrate Parliament, well there’s still no evident “link” to that issue and the Rebel News issue, now-retired Elections Commissioner Yves Côté testified.Côté’s the one who approved prosecuting Rebel News in 2019 for failing to register as a campaign advertiser. Lawn signs were distributed promoting the book Librano$: What The Media Won’t Tell You About Justin Trudeau’s Corruption.Côté ruled the lawn signs were no ordinary book promotion allowed under the Elections Act. Justice Cecily Strickland ruled in 2023 that the lawn signs were election advertising.Côté had “no specific recollection” about stuff when he testified.“The link with foreign interference is not apparent to me for the time being. What you are saying about this case, I don’t see foreign interference at all in the picture. That said, yes, there was an administrative monetary penalty against Rebel News.”He might be the only one who misses the “link.” Election interference is election interference no matter who the prime minister likes or dislikes. It’s no secret that the Liberals have no love for Rebel News.As for those Chinese spies who opt to work in the shadows — sans election signage — well, it’s kinda, sorta the Election Act’s fault that none of them have been caught. And mere Canadians wouldn’t understand its complexity. Try us. We’re listening.“The Canada Elections Act is extremely, extremely complex,” explained Mylène Gigou, senior director of enforcement in the Office of the Elections Commissioner.“We work in a small team where we work very closely with legal counsel.”Oh, OK then.Well, maybe not.Conservative Party Counsel Nando de Luca demanded to know why complaints of Chinese interference weren’t investigated, but the Elections Commissioner spent time and money prosecuting Rebel News.“We are talking about a period of well over four years that the Office of the Commissioner of Elections devoted expenses and resources to this one particular instance of contravention of the Elections Act,” said de Luca.“Would it be fair to say while, for investigations of breaches of the Elections Act by domestic actors, the Office has allocated far greater resources and spent far more time in its enforcement activities than it has in respect of alleged breaches of the Act by foreign operators?” asked de Luca.Commissioner Caroline Simard wouldn’t say.“It is difficult to answer such questions,” replied Simard, who acknowledged hundreds of complaints were received about foreign interference in both the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.What’s so difficult? Isn’t it a “small team” to canvass? A show of hands would give Canadians an answer to: “Which posse went after Rebel News and which posse went after Chinese spies?” This would be the same Simard who forgot to mention China in her Annual Report to Parliament last September when updating investigations into alleged election fraud by foreign agents. That’s despite Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei having been expelled from Canada in May. Wei was posted at the Toronto Chinese consulate and implicated in activities targeting the family of Conservative MP Michael Chong.Like the Western Standard, Rebel News doesn’t accept Trudeau's media bribe money — $1.4 billion to the CBC and hundreds of millions more to outlets across Canada.It’s a good thing the feds squeezed that $3,000 out of the outlet. It’ll help offset the $5.2 million the insolvent Saltwire Network — the largest newspaper publisher in Liberal-strong Atlantic Canada — pocketed in Trudeau taxpayer subsidies (bribes) in 2022.An independent outlet, agree or degree with its lawn signage, got full attention.Chinese interference. What Chinese interference?Fair or not, the optics, especially with a federal election on horizon, are very bad.
So, the Commissioner of Elections Canada spent four years successfully hounding a Canadian news outlet about ‘improper’ election lawn signage. But, in approximately the same time frame, it struck out nailing Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spies interfering in Canadian political affairs.Gotcha! It said when it levied a $3,000 fine against Rebel News and had the appealed decision upheld by the federal court.Yet despite hundreds of complaints about CCP interference, federal election monitors couldn’t manage to sniff out any — none, not one — Chinese agents infiltrating Canada and committing nefarious deeds, the ongoing China inquiry heard.The optics are bad.Non-answer explanations from an agency that should be nonpartisan don’t help. Unless people called in to testify offer clear recollections and explanations of events, Canadians should be sceptical about getting their money’s worth from an anticipated $11 million inquiry into why multiple warnings of illegalities by Chinese agents were ignored.Investigators with the mandate to enforce and ensure compliance with the Elections Act and administer penalties downplayed the allegations. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) documented evidence that China “clandestinely and deceptively sought to influence the 2021 federal election” in a memo entitled Threats To The Canadian Federal Election states.This doesn’t inspire critically-needed confidence in the growing number of Canadians concerned about Chinese foreign interference and a safe electoral process. That includes Chinese Canadians, allegedly chased by CCP operatives, after they managed to flee communism hoping to freely sing 'O Canada' (and not the 'March of the Volunteers,' the CCP national anthem.)Canadians are, with good reason, suspicious enough about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s integrity. And his allegiances. When it comes to China, its big cheerleader Trudeau fell short of waving pom-poms when he expressed admiration for that crushing communist system. It's complicated, the Commission on Foreign Interference was told when asked why expenses and resources seemed to focus on the news network, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.Really? To this observer, it seems rather simple.The hounds must be unleashed against domestic ‘threats’ who are merely critical of Trudeau.But foreign threats, Chinese agents who bribe, threaten and terrorize Canadians so the CCP can infiltrate Parliament, well there’s still no evident “link” to that issue and the Rebel News issue, now-retired Elections Commissioner Yves Côté testified.Côté’s the one who approved prosecuting Rebel News in 2019 for failing to register as a campaign advertiser. Lawn signs were distributed promoting the book Librano$: What The Media Won’t Tell You About Justin Trudeau’s Corruption.Côté ruled the lawn signs were no ordinary book promotion allowed under the Elections Act. Justice Cecily Strickland ruled in 2023 that the lawn signs were election advertising.Côté had “no specific recollection” about stuff when he testified.“The link with foreign interference is not apparent to me for the time being. What you are saying about this case, I don’t see foreign interference at all in the picture. That said, yes, there was an administrative monetary penalty against Rebel News.”He might be the only one who misses the “link.” Election interference is election interference no matter who the prime minister likes or dislikes. It’s no secret that the Liberals have no love for Rebel News.As for those Chinese spies who opt to work in the shadows — sans election signage — well, it’s kinda, sorta the Election Act’s fault that none of them have been caught. And mere Canadians wouldn’t understand its complexity. Try us. We’re listening.“The Canada Elections Act is extremely, extremely complex,” explained Mylène Gigou, senior director of enforcement in the Office of the Elections Commissioner.“We work in a small team where we work very closely with legal counsel.”Oh, OK then.Well, maybe not.Conservative Party Counsel Nando de Luca demanded to know why complaints of Chinese interference weren’t investigated, but the Elections Commissioner spent time and money prosecuting Rebel News.“We are talking about a period of well over four years that the Office of the Commissioner of Elections devoted expenses and resources to this one particular instance of contravention of the Elections Act,” said de Luca.“Would it be fair to say while, for investigations of breaches of the Elections Act by domestic actors, the Office has allocated far greater resources and spent far more time in its enforcement activities than it has in respect of alleged breaches of the Act by foreign operators?” asked de Luca.Commissioner Caroline Simard wouldn’t say.“It is difficult to answer such questions,” replied Simard, who acknowledged hundreds of complaints were received about foreign interference in both the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.What’s so difficult? Isn’t it a “small team” to canvass? A show of hands would give Canadians an answer to: “Which posse went after Rebel News and which posse went after Chinese spies?” This would be the same Simard who forgot to mention China in her Annual Report to Parliament last September when updating investigations into alleged election fraud by foreign agents. That’s despite Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei having been expelled from Canada in May. Wei was posted at the Toronto Chinese consulate and implicated in activities targeting the family of Conservative MP Michael Chong.Like the Western Standard, Rebel News doesn’t accept Trudeau's media bribe money — $1.4 billion to the CBC and hundreds of millions more to outlets across Canada.It’s a good thing the feds squeezed that $3,000 out of the outlet. It’ll help offset the $5.2 million the insolvent Saltwire Network — the largest newspaper publisher in Liberal-strong Atlantic Canada — pocketed in Trudeau taxpayer subsidies (bribes) in 2022.An independent outlet, agree or degree with its lawn signage, got full attention.Chinese interference. What Chinese interference?Fair or not, the optics, especially with a federal election on horizon, are very bad.
