Election Watchdog Claims Beijing Trying to Influence Chinese-Canadians on Mark Carney
Federal authorities have uncovered an information operation linked to the Chinese regime targeting Chinese-Canadians’ views on Prime Minister and Liberal Leader Mark Carney.
The Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force revealed that the information operation was spreading coordinated and inauthentic narratives on the Chinese social media platform WeChat.
Authorities stated that different narratives about Mr. Carney were being amplified on WeChat, first emphasizing his stance with the United States, then questioning his experience and credentials.
Initial information originated from an anonymous blog on WeChat called Youli-Youmian, claimed to be the most popular news account on the platform. WeChat, owned by Tencent, boasts 1.3 billion monthly users.
SITE linked the Youli-Youmian account to the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission. This body oversees the state security apparatus.
The SITE Task Force noted “large spikes” of what they suspect to be “coordinated inauthentic behavior” related to an article posted by the WeChat account on March 10 and March 25. The campaign around the March 25 article was supported by 30 smaller WeChat accounts, garnering between 1 million to 3 million views, much higher than usual for Chinese state media content.
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“The SITE Task Force assesses that the foreign state-backed information operation was intended to influence Canadian-Chinese communities and look to mould perceptions about the candidate [Carney],” said Laurie-Anne Kempton, assistant secretary to the cabinet for communications with the Privy Council Office, during a press conference in Ottawa on April 7.
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Federal authorities shared links to Chinese-language Youli-Youmian articles that were part of Beijing’s information operation campaign.
The article highlighting the candidate’s stance with the United States praises Carney’s experience as a former governor of the central banks of Canada and the United Kingdom. It mentions Carney’s lack of political experience but ambitious plans for economic recovery.
The Youli-Youmian article targeting Carney’s experience and credentials presents mixed views on the Liberal leader.
It refers to Carney as an “airborne prime minister” due to his absence in Parliament, questions his French-language skills, and suggests the Liberal Party sought a “saviour” in Carney to address past issues. It portrays Carney as a financial elite.
Despite mostly positive content towards Carney, SITE officials clarified that they observed both positive and negative narratives over the specified period.
When asked about the purpose of the information operation promoting contrasting views, Kempton explained that it aims to influence opinions in the digital space.
Venessa Lloyd, chair of SITE and deputy director of operations at CSIS, mentioned that China’s interference in Canada is not aligned with a specific party and that the purpose of SITE’s announcement was to link the Youli-Youmian WeChat account to China and the Chinese Communist Party.
SITE officials highlighted the use of the same Youli-Youmian blog to publish negative content about other political figures in the past, including Chrystia Freeland and Michael Chong.
Chong responded to SITE’s warning, accusing Beijing of interfering in Canada’s election to re-elect Mark Carney and the Liberals.
Officials mentioned speaking with WeChat’s parent company Tencent about their findings and briefing the Liberal Party about the Chinese information operation campaign.
The Prime Minister’s Office and the Liberal Party were contacted for comment but did not respond by publication time.
Past China Links
Concerns about foreign interference in the current election period have been raised, with China identified as a significant threat by the Foreign Interference Commission and security bodies.
Carney’s previous ties with Chinese entities before entering politics have been criticized by Conservatives. They pointed out a large loan from the Bank of China secured by Brookfield Asset Management while Carney was the firm’s board chair.
The Tories also highlighted Carney’s meeting with the mayor of Beijing in October 2024, where discussions included expanding business in China and cooperation in various sectors.
During a campaign event in late March, Carney emphasized the importance of partners sharing Canadian values when diversifying trading relationships, explicitly stating that Chinese values do not align.
Carney also faced criticism regarding Beijing interference in the controversy surrounding former Liberal candidate Paul Chiang, prompting Chiang’s eventual withdrawal from the race.
