A range of news headlines this week about the nature of a Beijing information operation focused on Liberal Leader Mark Carney portrayed the situation in various ways, with some saying he was being targeted and others saying he was being praised.
Other news reports took a more neutral approach and focused on Beijing’s intent to influence Chinese-Canadian voters in the election.
So what actually took place in the incident made public this week by the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force?
SITE reported that the top news account on the popular Chinese social media platform WeChat had published two articles in March about Carney, and that their narratives had been “deliberately” amplified in a “coordinated and inauthentic way.”
SITE also said intelligence had linked that news account, an anonymous blog called Youli-Youmian, to the organ of the Chinese Communist Party in charge of overseeing state security.
SITE said the objective of the information operation was to influence Chinese communities in Canada in the context of the election.
“The information being spread is inauthentic and coordinated, with the goal to manipulate,” said the election security body, which is composed of officials from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Communications Security Establishment Canada, Global Affairs Canada, and the RCMP.
First Article
The first article was published by Youli-Youmian on March 10, a day after Carney won the Liberal leadership race by a large margin.The title of the article is “The United States has encountered a ’tough' Canadian prime minister,” suggesting that Carney has what it takes to handle U.S. President Donald Trump and his tariffs and comments impacting Canada. For the most part, the article is written as a news account and appears mostly factual.
The overall tone of the article is largely positive toward Carney, casting his central banking experience and his approach toward the United States in a good light. It also suggests Carney would deepen cooperation with China if elected—a key message being sent to a Chinese Canadian audience.
The first paragraph of the article says Carney is a “‘political novice’” who was never elected to office and who will become the first “’technocratic'” prime minister in history. It is unclear why the article used quote marks around the two terms, which do not appear further in the article and are not attributed as someone else’s words. The article uses quotation marks elsewhere without attribution.
The article opens by providing biographical information on Carney, including on his education and early work experience. It notes Carney was “only” 42 years old when he became Bank of Canada governor and says he was “praised for his quick and effective response to the financial crisis” of 2008.
Carney later became governor of the Bank of England, and the Youli-Youmian article says the British media called him a “‘rock star economist’” for the modern reforms he implemented. The article adds Carney helped steer the United Kingdom through Brexit and that he was called the “‘only adult in the room.’” Both quotes were unattributed.
The March 10 article adds that Carney had also “caused controversy” by warning about the economic risks of Brexit and climate change.
The article says Carney’s professional achievements led to the former central banker receiving much support from Liberal MPs during the leadership race. It relayed positive comments that it attributes to Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and then-Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
The Youli-Youmian article says Carney won the race with over 85 percent of the votes despite his lack of political experience by “relying on his ‘anti-Trump’ popularity and crisis management experience.”
The article notes some of Carney’s policy proposals around eliminating interprovincial trade barriers and speeding up the approval of large projects. It also notes how he is “not a complete political newcomer,” having advised the government of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “for a long time” and being appointed adviser to Trudeau in September.
The next section of the article discusses the dynamic between Canada and the United States, including tariffs and Trump’s declarations about making Canada the 51st U.S. state, along with what Carney has said on the issue.
It presents Carney as taking a hardline approach against Trump, saying he issued a “’revenge‘” declaration after he won the leadership race, vowing to maintain retaliatory tariffs until “’Americans respect us.'”
The article also mentions Carney’s comments about how Canada cannot control Trump’s behaviour but can control its own economy.
“This statement is both a denial of the ‘compromise with the United States’ policy of the Trudeau era and an attempt to reshape Canada’s independent image in international trade,” it says. This interpretation is noteworthy given that SITE sources the article back to the Chinese Communist Party. Beijing benefits from weakening alliances between democracies and would normally seek to exploit rifts to its advantage.
The next paragraph in the article says that while Carney is being “tough” on the United States, he “seeks to form an ‘anti-trade protectionism alliance’ with Mexico and South American countries, while deepening economic and trade cooperation with China.”
This idea of deepening cooperation with China has not been expressed publicly by Carney since he entered politics. Conservatives, meanwhile, have criticized him for his past dealings with China while in the private sector.
While Carney was serving as board chair of Brookfield Asset Management in late 2024, the company secured a US$276 billion loan from a Chinese state-owned bank. Carney also told Beijing’s mayor in a meeting in October that his company sought to expand cooperation, according to comments reported by the Chinese regime.
The final section of the Youli-Youmian article discusses whether Carney will be able to deal with the current crisis. It says Carney’s popularity has been “temporarily raised” by his “'anti-Trump popularity,” but that polls show that “only 52 percent” of voters are confident in his prospects for governing.
The article raises concerns about some of his policies, saying cancelling the capital gains tax increase may “widen the gap between the rich and the poor,” while increasing spending on the military and infrastructure will increase the deficit.
Second Article
The second Youli-Youmian article about Carney was published on March 25, shortly after Parliament was dissolved and a snap election was called on March 23. The style of writing is different from the first article, as this second one is clearly an opinion piece.The article uses both positive and negative concepts when discussing Carney. The general tone or objective, however, doesn’t seem to be to undermine or promote him. A strong theme appears to be to highlight the strain in the Canada–U.S. relationship, something China can seek to take advantage of.
The article opens by calling Carney “political Flash,” in an apparent reference to the DC Comics superhero who moves at a high rate of speed defying the laws of physics.
“He said with confidence that Trump was dreaming of turning Canada into the 51st state of the United States! Canada can’t sit and wait for death, and must elect a tough guy who can confront him head-on!” the article goes on to say about Carney.
Facing Trump threats, the article says Carney “urgently launched the ‘anti-American patriotic mode’” and is trying to use the election to “prove to all Canadians that he is not a ‘political temporary worker.’”
The article adds that Carney was parachuted in by the Liberal Party which needed a “’saviour'” to “clean up the mess” left by Trudeau. “So they set their sights on former central bank governor Carney, a financial elite, and wanted to quickly pull Carney to the front.”
The article says Carney was sworn in as prime minister with his head “held high,” while adding it is “embarrassing” that the “airborne prime minister” does not have a seat in the House of Commons.
According to the article, in this context and facing a potential non-confidence vote in the House, Carney made the “big move” to call an early election. The March 25 article notes how some of Carney’s first policy moves were to remove the federal fuel charge and announce tax cuts for the lowest income bracket.
“After all, Carney has been in the financial circle for many years and is well versed in the routine of ’speaking with data,'” it says.
The next paragraph is entirely negative toward Carney, mentioning the quality of his French and noting how the Conservatives have not missed any chances to criticize him for not divulging his personal assets. Carney has defended himself by saying he has followed all ethics rules and that he doesn’t know what assets are being held in his blind trust.
The article then brings up the recent tense developments in the Canada–U.S. relationship, which it calls a “plastic brotherhood.” This expression alludes to something that doesn’t perish and looks good on the surface but is fake, such as plastic flowers.
The article says Canada is facing a dual crisis over its sovereignty and economy and notes that Carney has defined this as the “biggest crisis” in our lifetime.
“His campaign strategy is also simple and crude: ”Vote for me, or Trump will turn our Canada into his private golf course!” it says.
The article concludes by suggesting three political scenarios. If Carney wins the election, it says, Canada and the United States will continue their dispute. “Carney may further escalate tariff retaliation against the United States and promote a trade agreement with Europe,” it says.
In a scenario where the Conservatives win, the article suggests that the relationship with the United States could “subtly” ease. It says Poilievre would focus on resource exploitation and use oil exports to ease tariff pressure. “But voters are also worried, will this become ‘Trump 2.0’ governance?”
A third scenario would involve Trump suddenly deciding to “make peace” with Canada.
