OTTAWA, Ontario — A department within the Canadian government that monitors potential foreign interference announced on Friday that it has identified a “coordinated and malicious activity” aimed at Chrystia Freeland, a candidate for the leadership of the federal Liberal Party.
According to a statement from Rapid Response Mechanism Canada, an entity operating under Global Affairs Canada, this interference is linked to a WeChat account that has connections to the Chinese government. The report specified that the inception of this information campaign was traced back to WeChat’s leading news account—a nameless blog that analysts from the China Digital Times have previously associated with the People’s Republic of China. Moreover, the Rapid Response Mechanism noted that over 30 WeChat news accounts have participated in this operation, which garnered significant engagement and viewership.
Members of Freeland’s campaign team, along with executives from the Liberal Party of Canada, have been updated on these findings. In reaction to this announcement, Freeland took to social media platform X on Friday evening to express her sentiments.
“I will not be intimidated by Chinese foreign interference,” stated Freeland, who previously served as deputy prime minister. “Having spent years confronting authoritarian regimes, I am acutely aware of how crucial it is to safeguard our freedoms.” It was her sudden resignation as finance minister last December that compelled Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to announce his decision to step down as both prime minister and leader of the party.
Trudeau is expected to continue in his role until a new leader for the Liberal Party is elected on March 9. In response to inquiries from the media, the Chinese Embassy in Canada expressed unawareness of the alleged campaign highlighted in the statement.
An unidentified spokesperson for the embassy remarked, “But I want to stress that it is absurd and illogical to criticize and malign China based solely on the fabricated statements of some so-called experts. China is deeply dissatisfied and firmly rejects this.” The spokesperson also emphasized that the leadership race within the Liberal Party is an internal matter for Canada and asserted that China has no interest in meddling. Furthermore, the embassy voiced its opposition to tying Canada’s domestic affairs to issues related to China, indicating that unfounded disparagement of China is counterproductive to the healthy progression of relations between China and Canada.
