China tried to meddle in Canada polls but couldn’t swing results: Trudeau

Amid a recent probe into alleged foreign meddling in Canadian elections, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assured the public that despite efforts by other countries, the elections were “free and fair”. China tried to interfere in the last two Canadian elections, but that didn’t change the results, and it was “improbable” Beijing preferred any party over another, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told an official probe on Wednesday, reported news agency Reuters.

The commission, set up due to concerns from opposition lawmakers, focused on reports suggesting China might have interfered in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian elections.

Erin O’Toole, former leader of the Conservative Party during the 2021 campaign, alleged that Chinese interference may have cost his party up to nine seats, although it did not affect the election’s outcome.

However, Trudeau’s Liberal Party won both the 2019 and 2021 elections.

“Nothing we have seen and heard despite, yes, attempts by foreign states to interfere, those elections held in their integrity. They were decided by Canadians,” Erin O’Toole was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Trudeau said he hadn’t received a report about Chinese officials in Canada preferring a Liberal minority government in 2021 because they thought minority governments would have less power to pass anti-China policies.

“While individual (Chinese) officials may well have expressed a preference or another, the impression we got and consistently would get is that … it just would seem very improbable that the Chinese government itself would have a preference in the election,” Trudeau said.

EVIDENCE AND DENIAL OF CHINESE MEDDLING

Canada’s domestic spy agency presented evidence suggesting “clandestine and deceptive” interference by China in both elections, heightening tensions between the two nations.

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Canada vehemently denied these allegations, accusing Trudeau of “slandering” China during the enquiry hearing and that “China strongly deplores and resolutely opposes this”.

The spokesperson mentioned that some politicians tried to blame China during the investigation. They said the testimony had a lot of unclear words and lacked real evidence.

“China has never had any interest in interfering in Canada’s internal affairs,” Chinese spokesperson was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Beijing has previously denied all allegations of meddling in Canadian affairs and said it had no interest in doing so.

The elections took place amid strained relations between Canada and China, stemming from the arrest of an executive of the Chinese company Huawei Technologies in Canada followed by the detention of two Canadians in China on spying charges. All three were freed in 2021.

Despite these tensions, the elections proceeded, with Trudeau’s Liberal Party emerging victorious in both instances.

The commission is set to release an initial report by May 3, with the final report expected by the end of 2024, according to Reuters.