Commentary
The Chinese philosopher Confucius is of course a household name for many. He may have lived 2,500 years ago, but many of his sayings still reverberate today. Here is a sampling relevant to the topic at hand:
“Study the past if you would define the future” and “An oppressive government is more to be feared than a tiger.”
In this country, some may be aware of the presence of “Confucius Institutes” on several university campuses and within school boards. These bodies, sponsored by the People’s Republic of China, were founded in 2007 to “promote the learning of Chinese language in Canada, to foster Sino-Canada educational exchanges and to improve the understanding between Canada and China.” Who could argue with such lofty goals?
As with most things that have to do with Beijing’s presence abroad (harassment of dissidents—Uyghurs, Tibetans, Falun Gong, Hong Kongers, etc.—influence peddling, election interference), the institutes were not as advertised. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
noted as far back as 2019 that these institutes engaged in political interference and censorship, and did not allow discussion of topics that Beijing deems sensitive, such as the political situation in Tibet and Taiwan or the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Concerns over Chinese regime propaganda led some institutions, such as the one at McMaster University, to cut ties in 2013. Other educational centres, including some at the primary and secondary level, have followed suit.
None of this should come as a surprise to anyone who understands how the autocratic communist Chinese regime operates. Deviating from the party (the Communist Party of course!) line is forbidden and Beijing has a long record of viciously clamping down on any messaging that paints the country in a bad light. The use of the Confucius Institutes was a mere cover for such activity.
To my mind, these actions constitute foreign interference in Canadian affairs and must be stopped. CSIS has within its mandate (section 2b of the CSIS Act) the authority to investigate and advise government on these threats (“foreign influenced activities within or relating to Canada that are detrimental to the interests of Canada and are clandestine or deceptive or involve a threat to any person”). To its credit, CSIS has long warned of China’s moves but has, alas—as happened with the Hogue inquiry—seen its advice dismissed, ignored, or construed as “racist” by the Liberal government.
But is China the only country involved in these kinds of unwanted pressure tactics? That is, indeed, a good question.
Over the past 18 months, Canadian university settings have witnessed encampments, takeovers, and disruptions by groups protesting the war in Gaza. (An important reminder: the war was Israel’s response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas—a listed terrorist entity in Canada—in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed or taken hostage.) In most instances these protests sought to put all the blame for loss of life solely on Israel’s shoulders—ignoring the reason for the war in the first place—and on occasion Hamas members were portrayed as being valiant “freedom fighters.” (To my mind, “freedom fighters” do not
slaughter civilians at a music festival and gang rape/sexually mutilate women and girls.)
Is it possible that some of these groups received foreign funding? I have seen no reporting to that effect in Canada, although a
U.S. think tank known as the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy did report in 2019 that Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood were behind “substantial” funding to U.S. universities that had not been reported to the Department of Education, as required by law.
ISGAP stated that these elements “adhere to and promote anti-democratic and antisemitic ideologies, with connections to terrorism and terror financing.” Note that the Muslim Brotherhood is not listed as a terrorist entity in Canada.
Then again, we all know that universities in
Canada have been moving increasingly leftward over the decades. In this vein, the protests over Gaza and lionization of Hamas and Hezbollah may just be grassroots movements by those imbued with “anti-colonialist” obsessions. After all, students have a reputation for protesting just about anything, don’t they?
At a minimum, our state security services should look into whether foreign powers are behind some of the questionable activity on our campuses (I was unaware of such investigations when I was at CSIS: that does not imply that there were no such efforts).
Furthermore, with the current financial crisis across the country’s educational institutions, brought about in part by the cutting back of foreign students upon which the schools had come to depend, it is not unreasonable to wonder whether new inflows of cash from abroad may be seen as necessary to keep the lights on and the classrooms open. Which university president would turn down a lifesaving influx, even if it came from China? Or the United Arab Emirates? However, the true cost to Canada, i.e., our national security, needs to be taken into consideration.
I will leave the last word to Confucius: “Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation, there is sure to be failure.” Wiser words were never said.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
