Canadian Foreign Interference (General)

[RangerRay]

Kenny Chiu is in a nomination race against someone (Beijing-friendly) accusing him of dividing the Chinese community.

Hogue Report Fuels Renewed Attacks on Kenny Chiu as Conservative Nomination Battle Intensifies

Contestant Wai Young alleges Chiu “divided the community” with “careless” remarks that fueled anti-Asian racism—claims contradicted by evidence presented in the Hogue Inquiry

www.thebureau.news

Sorry, paywalled from the Globe…

Politicians throughout the modern period (Chrétien, Trump, Trudeau) have often gotten out of scandal by responding “the police haven’t laid charges”, like that makes their ethical…”flexibility” acceptable. And the voters have often let them skate (“Well nothing illegal happened…”).

Opinion: No traitors in the House, but foreign interference, and the Liberals’ non-response to it, is still a serious concern

Somewhere amid all the plans and protocols, the government seemed to lose sight of the objective: protecting Canadians

www.theglobeandmail.com

There’s no evidence Mr. Dong knew about or participated in the scheme. And certainly Justice Hogue appears to have cleared him of the most serious charge against him: that he suggested to a consular official that China hold onto the Two Michaels – the two Canadian businessmen held hostage nearly three years on trumped-up charges – rather than release them, supposedly for fear of validating the hardline approach favoured by the Conservatives.

But that hardly extinguishes all concerns. Maybe Mr. Dong said nothing improper in the conversation, which was recorded by Canadian intelligence. But why was he talking to officials of the People’s Republic at all, at such a sensitive time, and without the government’s knowledge? Why was China so eager that he win the nomination in Don Valley North? And why was the Prime Minister, apprised mid-campaign of intelligence concerns about the nomination, so lackadaisical in response?

Well, we know one reason: as he told the inquiry himself, nomination meetings are stacked in this way all the time. But that only points to the broader seriousness of the issue. If a foreign power could tilt the nomination in Don Valley North, a safe Liberal riding, it could do so in others. The process by which we nominate candidates, always an ethical disgrace, has become a serious security risk.

And the Prime Minister’s lack of curiosity in the Dong affair is only one example, among many in the report, of intelligence warnings that either went missing, or were not passed on, or were passed on but weren’t read, or were read but simply unheeded. This, remember, was after the 2016 U.S. election had alerted everyone to the risk, or rather the reality, of foreign interference.

The only reason anyone knows about any of this, let’s recall, is because the information was leaked to the press, presumably by intelligence officials distressed at the government’s inactivity on the file. Had it not been, presumably the government itself, in its invincible blindness, would have remained as unaware as everyone else. But still – not treasonous!

 

[QV]

Politicians throughout the modern period (Chrétien, Trump, Trudeau) have often gotten out of scandal by responding “the police haven’t laid charges”, like that makes their ethical…”flexibility” acceptable. And the voters have often let them skate (“Well nothing illegal happened…”).

Ha nice one. Trudeau’s LPC is embedded with China and a Trump led USA is not going to allow that to continue. Biden and the DNC would have. Id wager Trump has had some serious briefings on just how bad it really is, hence Canada getting lumped in with China and Mexico.

 

[Good2Golf]

Ha nice one. Trudeau’s LPC is embedded with China and a Trump led USA is not going to allow that to continue. Biden and the DNC would have. Id wager Trump has had some serious briefings on just how bad it really is, hence Canada getting lumped in with China and Mexico.

Yup.

Former CSIS head David Vigneault joins U.S. intelligence firm Strider​

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7287262

 

[OldSolduer]

Yup.

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7287262

Now maybe someone will actually listen to him and act. Heavens knows the some in the current GoC might have listened but their actions - or lack thereof - speaks volumes.

 

[Halifax Tar]

The line continues to impress. The first 1/2 is their reaction to the Hogue Report.

 

[RangerRay]

Erin O’Toole gets it.

Traitors, Treason and the Truth

Canada's Foreign Interference Wake Up Call

erinotoole.substack.com

One of the most dangerous misconceptions about foreign interference in our democracy is the idea that it can be simplified into a discussion of traitors and treason. That is not how foreign political influence in this modern era works. The real danger facing our democracy is not spies infiltrating parliament like out of the pages of a John le Carré novel. Today, the risks can come in the form of diaspora community powerbrokers, all expense paid trips, astro turf community group support, side business sweetheart deals and social media manipulation. Foreign influence is exerting its presence through the slow erosion of integrity in far too many people who seek and wield power.

It is unlikely that a compromised politician will have taken a bribe or be subject to blackmail. There is no ‘Manchurian candidate’ sitting in the third row of the House of Commons. What we need to look for today is someone who repeatedly exercises poor judgment, allows personal relationships to cloud their decision-making, or becomes dependent on foreign support for political or financial gain. There are many shades of grey before one reaches the darkness of treason.

The most important finding from the release of the final report of the Foreign Interference Commission (the Hogue Inquiry) this week was that operating in the grey is becoming far too common in Canadian political culture. A public inquiry into foreign interference in our politics was never about finding traitors or uncovering acts of treason, which is why most media headlines this week did a disservice to the issue. The Hogue Inquiry was about examining the conduct of political leaders and their senior advisors over the last number of years to see if we were rising to meet this threat to our democracy. The simple answer is that we are not.

Far too many politicians and senior political staff have shown that they have poor judgment. The culture of complacency surrounding intelligence sharing has been just as concerning. This inattention to what is happening on an intelligence level combined with the reality of social media and modern diaspora politics in Canada means foreign interference activities have been accelerating in Canada in the last decade and we are sending a signal that we do not care.

 

[dapaterson]

The man dumped and replaced by PP thinks Canadian politics has a significant foreign influence problem.

 

[brihard]

The man dumped and replaced by PP thinks Canadian politics has a significant foreign influence problem.

Red herring. His words as quoted by @RangerRay are right in the money.

 

[dapaterson]

Red herring. His words as quoted by @RangerRay are right in the money.

I don't disagree that he's right on the money.

The party leader who replaced him has deliberately avoided intelligence briefings, and is categorically unserious and dangerous to the nation in this context.

 

[Brad Sallows]

I don't disagree that he's right on the money.

The party leader who replaced him has deliberately avoided intelligence briefings, and is categorically unserious and dangerous to the nation in this context.

His unwillingness to take the briefings, irrespective of his reasons, is irrelevant if he is the best of 3 choices for a leader (and party) that will take action to improve the situation.

 

[dapaterson]

His unwillingness to take the briefings, irrespective of his reasons, is irrelevant if he is the best of 3 choices for a leader (and party) that will take action to improve the situation.

It reflects on his character or lack thereof.

Unserious man who has never held a job outside of politics.

 

[The Bread Guy]

I don't disagree that he's right on the money.

The party leader who replaced him has deliberately avoided intelligence briefings, and is categorically unserious and dangerous to the nation in this context.

C'mon, it's not as if he's got anything to worry about in his own caucus, right? This from Hogue ...

 

[Brad Sallows]

It reflects on his character or lack thereof.

Unserious man who has never held a job outside of politics.

A perceived blot on a politician's character. How could such a thing have happened?

When conservative politicians are inexperienced, they are attacked for that.

When conservative politicians are experienced, they are attacked for that.

Now that's unserious.

 

[ArmyRick]

It reflects on his character or lack thereof.

Your opinion. I think not taking the intelligence briefing on foreign interference prevented him from being muzzled on it as he stated OVER and over again.

Unserious man who has never held a job outside of politics.

And part time snow boarding instructors and failed drama teachers are excellent political resume stuffers? Nope.

This gets tiresome.

 

[dapaterson]

I view Poilievre and Scheer the same way I view Tobin, Copps and Nunziata - career politicians good at stunts but poor to terrible choices as leaders.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

It reflects on his character or lack thereof.

Unserious man who has never held a job outside of politics.

So do you want Carney or Singh to form government? Which is the best choice to beat PP? Tell us how their plan of status quo on steroids is going to fix things for us?

Have you ever held a substantial job, that you could support a home and family with, other than a government service job?

"Unserious man who has never held a job outside of politics" is the biggest red herring that keeps getting repeated by those that can't compete with him, gain the respect he has or are in love with the current administration. It means absolutely nothing. The fact he's been as successful as he has been, for as long as he has, in this game shows skill and thought. Exactly the type of person we need as opposed to a snowboard instructor or a journalist. Or Net Zero zealot that makes Guilbault look like a toddler.

Or the orange liiberal, Jagmeet Singh.

 

[dapaterson]

Your opinion. I think not taking the intelligence briefing on foreign interference prevented him from being muzzled on it as he stated OVER and over again.

That is uncategorical bullshit from him.

 

[dapaterson]

So do you want Carney or Singh to form government? Which is the best choice to beat PP? Tell us how their plan of status quo on steroids is going to fix things for us?

I'd prefer OToole. The CPC adopting the prior Liberal approach of torching the leadership after each election is foolish.

The Liberals adopting an approach of leader protection from reality is equally bad.

I actually found the picture below, it's directly from the LPC HQ.

 

[brihard]

Your opinion. I think not taking the intelligence briefing on foreign interference prevented him from being muzzled on it as he stated OVER and over again.

Utter nonsense. His parliamentary privilege would not be muzzled by FISOIA. He has stated it over and over again be cause he knows he rely on supporters to just buy it without making any effort to understand the applicable laws and parliamentary immunities. He would simply need to behave responsibly within what he learned within the confines of those privileges if he wished to continue to be shown such into with any degree of detail in the future. The whole point of intelligence collection is for it to be used to inform policy, within the constraints of the ability to protect sources and methods.

 

[ArmyRick]

That is uncategorical bullshit from him.

How so? Is it uncategorical billshit because you say so? What part of what he said was wrong or incorrect? Funny how the not so report came out and no one is even whispering Pierre's name. Please do elaborate and explain, like a good officer should.

I'll wait. Probably a long ass time.