“I’ve not received any reports regarding specific instances of noncompliance with the legislation or specific instances of Chinese interference in the election,” Stéphane Perrault told the committee.
Perrault was responding to Conservative MP Michael Cooper who asked if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and any cabinet ministers had reported to Elections Canada on the issue.
Allegations of China interfering in the 2019 election, which included funding of a clandestine network of at least 11 candidates, arose after a Global News report published Nov. 7 said that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) had warned Trudeau and several cabinet ministers in a series of briefings and memos in January of the matter.
“What would it take for someone like you who was in charge of the electoral process in Canada to come to the conclusion that the electoral process has been affected by foreign interference?” Conservative MP Luc Berthold asked.
“It takes more than an article in the press,” Perrault replied. “With all due respect I have for journalists, but I will not simply rely on an article in a newspaper.”
‘Have No Information’
PROC started its study of foreign election interference on Nov. 1 and has since heard testimonies from officials of Canada’s Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force, which consists of CSIS, Global Affairs, RCMP, and Communications Security Establishment (CSE).“I will just note that there were activities observed … during the election,” King said. “But I will note in context as well it’s activity also that we see on a persistent basis. That is to say that we observe things before, during, [and] after the election.”
“These media reports are things that we took seriously and we asked our security officials to follow up on them,” he said at a press conference.
‘Advance Beijing’s Political Agenda’
In response to Trudeau’s comments, Sam Cooper, author of the Global News report, took to Twitter in a series of tweets the same day, saying that “sources with knowledge of the sensitive memos said the Prime Minister was briefed along with some cabinet members.”“The 2022 intelligence briefs, again, said the PRC [People’s Republic of China] consulate earmarked a significant sum which was transferred to an unidentified federal campaign staffer, who then sent the sum to an unnamed Ontario MPP.”
Cooper added that separate sources with knowledge of the 2022 briefs said about $250,000 was transferred to the campaign staffer and the MPP through an intermediary for the PRC consulate, and the MPP then disbursed the sum to other members of the network, which included the 11 unidentified candidates and 13 campaign staff, according to intelligence memos.
“Some, but not all, of those at least 11 candidates and staffers were witting affiliates of the Chinese Communist Party, the intelligence memos alleged, according to information obtained by Global News,” he said.
“The alleged scheme was all done to advance Beijing’s political agenda, intelligence memos said.”