CSIS Report on Han Dong’s Nomination Race Withdrawn Following Meeting with Trudeau Adviser
Canada’s spy chief, Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service David Vigneault, retracted a report regarding the 2019 Liberal nomination race involving MP Han Dong after meeting with the prime minister’s top security adviser.
Vigneault clarified the situation during his testimony at the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference on April 4, stating that he couldn’t recall the exact reason for retracting the report but emphasized that it was not due to sensitivity issues. He mentioned that he had never been asked to alter intelligence for reasons outside of CSIS operations.
The report in question, related to possible Chinese interference in the Liberal nomination race in Don Valley North in 2019, was disseminated to senior government officials in October 2019. MP Han Dong won the contest amidst allegations of irregularities and foreign interference from Beijing.
An internal CSIS email revealed that Vigneault requested the assessment’s recall after discussions with the National Security and Intelligence Advisor (NSIA), Greta Bossenmaier. The content of the re-issued assessment highlighted potential foreign interference in the 2019 federal campaign involving Han Dong.
‘Politically-Connected Canadian’
The unreleased initial report identified a politically-connected Canadian involved in foreign interference activities leading up to the 2019 election. It suggested that the actor had impacted the election and posed an ongoing threat post-election.
After the election, other reports indicated foreign activities, mostly from China, occurred in some ridings but did not have a broad-based impact on the outcome.
Integrity
Concerns were raised regarding the report’s impact on the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force, led by Lyall King, who expressed unease about conflicting messaging on foreign interference between CSIS and SITE.
CSIS’s assessment indicated an impact on the election, while SITE concluded that no interference affected the overall outcome.
Email exchanges between CSIS and SITE members reflected disagreements on the severity of alleged activities and the sharing of intelligence before the election.
‘Nonchalantly Dismissed’
In hindsight, the assessment was deemed too harsh by CSIS officials after complaints were raised, suggesting that the threat actor’s impact did not compromise the election’s integrity. CSIS officials mentioned the alleged interference remained unsubstantiated.
The inquiry also uncovered irregularities in the nomination process, including the involvement of individuals close to Chinese officials providing false documents to international students to vote.
The ongoing public inquiry on foreign interference during the 2019 and 2021 elections will further examine the matter, including testimony from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his political staff.
