The News Rundown
- It's become more and more clear over the past few months that Canada has a problem with foreign interference in our political systems that may affect how people vote in the federal election coming up in just a few days.
- Last week, we discussed how the head of a suspected Chinese police station operating in Canada was invited to a Liberal candidate's campaign event, and 2 weeks ago we saw how there was a generalized operation on Chinese language social media to promote Liberal leader Mark Carney as a strong leader who would stand up to the United States.
- This week, it was revealed by Canadian security officials that a foreign repression operation has been targeting Joe Tay, the Conservative candidate for the Toronto riding of Don Valley North, who is opposed to Chinese government policies and is wanted in Hong Kong for his vocal support of the territory’s pro-democracy movement. Tay is also the subject of a HK$1 million ($180,000 Canadian) bounty.
- According to Laurie-Anne Kempton, Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) task force spokesperson, the operation features a mock “wanted” poster and disparaging headlines and comments about Joe Tay. The foreign interference also involves what Kempton called “inauthentic and co-ordinated” amplification of content related to the Hong Kong bounty and an arrest warrant against Tay, as well as material about his competence to hold political office.
- The campaign seeks not only to discredit Tay, but to suppress the ability of Chinese Canadian voters to access his campaign messages online, via cyber operations conducted by Beijing’s internet authorities.
- Though the transnational repression operation bears all the hallmarks of traditional PRC-backed foreign interference tactics, task force members said they were still working on confirming who was behind it. Kempton said confirming ties between a state and suspicious online activity can take “significant time and analysis”.
- Kempton also told reporters the task force did not believe China’s efforts prevented voters in the riding or across the country from having a free and fair election. She said: “These activities are happening on a small scale. They have not reached the tipping point of threatening the integrity of our election, either at the national or the riding level. The threat actors have not succeeded.”
- Tay was also the centre of attention early in the campaign after comments by Toronto Liberal candidate Paul Chiang in which he joked to an audience that they could earn bounty money if they turned in Tay to the Chinese consulate resurfaced. Chiang eventually dropped out as a candidate.
- Tay, who was born in Hong Kong and spent time between there and Canada, gave up his 30-year acting career amid Beijing’s increasingly oppressive encroachment into the territory’s affairs and moved back to Canada, concerned for his personal safety due to his vocal advocacy for Hong Kong democracy and criticism of the Chinese government.
- Tay was clearly rattled by Chiang's comments. He issued a statement expressing fear for his safety: “[Chiang’s] threatening public comments were intended to intimidate me. I want to be clear: no apology is sufficient. Threats like these are the tradecraft of the Chinese Communist Party to interfere in Canada. They are not just aimed at me; they are intended to send a chilling signal to the entire community to force compliance with Beijing’s political goals.”
- Tay ended up pausing in-person campaigning this past week following advice from the RCMP. It is perhaps not a surprise, then, that his team is protective of their candidate. He is running a “very quiet, but effective” campaign, a spokeswoman said. But it's clear that the threats from China have affected both the Conservative and Liberal campaigns in this riding in particular.
- One unnamed Poilievre supporter said he admitted to being disappointed that he had yet to see or hear from Tay, saying that maybe he's rightly worried for his safety, but that does affect his ability to reach out to voters in a North York riding that has consistently voted Liberal for the better part of 3 decades.
- Tay’s need to suspend door-knocking in Don Valley North echoes concerns raised in a neighbouring riding during the 2021 federal campaign—where The Bureau's Sam Cooper previously uncovered allegations of Chinese government intimidation and targeting of voters and a Conservative incumbent. According to senior Conservative sources, Chinese agents attempted to intimidate voters and monitor the door-to-door campaign of then-incumbent MP Bob Saroya in Markham–Unionville.
- According to multiple senior figures from Erin O’Toole’s 2021 Conservative campaign—who spoke on condition of anonymity—O’Toole’s team was briefed by Canadian intelligence officials that Chinese government actors were surveilling then-incumbent MP Bob Saroya during the campaign. One source recalled, “There were Chinese officials following Bob Saroya around,” adding that “CSIS literally said repeatedly that this was ‘coordinated and alarming.’”
- When asked to comment, O’Toole—who stepped down as leader following the Conservative’s 2021 loss—acknowledged awareness of voter intimidation reports but declined to confirm whether CSIS had briefed his team directly on the matter.
- “Our candidate Bob Saroya was a hardworking MP who won against the Liberal wave in 2015,” O’Toole wrote in a statement. “He won in 2019 as well, but thousands of votes from the Chinese Canadian community stayed home in 2021. We heard reports of intimidation of voters. We also know the Consul General from China took particular interest in the riding and made strange comments to Mr. Saroya ahead of the election. It was always in the top three of the eight or nine ridings that I believe were flipped due to foreign interference.”
- Liberal candidate Maggie Chi, Chiang's replacement in Don Valley North, is now trying to steer clear of the perception in some quarters that Liberals—and ethnic Chinese party members especially—have an overly cozy relationship with Beijing.
- Despite the public nature of running for office, both Tay and Chi are being very selective about giving media interviews and declined requests for media access to their campaigns. Their respective campaign managers described tight, busy schedules and wanting them to focus on the election without distractions. But Tay’s office also cited 'unspecified safety concerns' that we now know are linked to the RCMP's advice, while Chi’s team pointed to the “ridiculous” attacks leveled against political figures with a Chinese background. These tensions speak not only to ongoing concerns around the role of outside forces in Canada, but the disparate experiences and perspectives within Canada’s Chinese diaspora.
- It's a fine line that Chinese diaspora political candidates must face. Transnational repression by China is well-documented and alarming—it includes efforts to silence exiles through family intimidation, threats, online or phone harassment, and repatriation. Yet accusations of foreign interference in the absence of supporting evidence can lead to unwelcome consequences too. It can contribute to anti-Asian racism and casts a pall over political figures who take a more nuanced approach to China, or who don’t denounce the regime outright.
- Ted Lojko, Maggie Chi's campaign manager, has a different take, alluding to allegations and insinuations against candidates of Chinese descent in other ridings: “Right now, if you stick your head up, it’s ridiculous. Maggie is as Canadian as anybody else, but basically, just because she just happens to be a Mandarin speaker and just happens to be Chinese by background—we’re not really interested in playing all this nonsense.”
- Lojko also served as the campaign manager to the previous Liberal MP of Don Valley North, Han Dong. He also has known Dong for nearly 30 years and was one of the people who encouraged Dong to run in 2019 for the Liberals.
- In March 2023, Dong stepped down from the Liberal caucus due to allegations that he advised the Chinese consul general in Toronto against the release of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, and helped the consulate interfere in the 2019 federal election.
- It’s hard to know what Tay and Chi would say if foreign interference—or the perception of potential foreign interference—wasn’t a factor and they could talk freely about their campaign issues. How would they lend their voices to constituents? For now, at least, they’re not saying anything. In the meantime, how Toronto votes will play a huge part in who wins the election on Monday. Will it be close enough that Chinese interference could play a factor? We'll be watching.
- Supplementals:
- Easter is over but we’re going to talk about eggs.
- This week’s Alberta story goes to Lethbridge where a local farmer was arrested by the RCMP for selling too many eggs.
- It is alleged that Henk van Essen was targeted by the Egg Farmers of Alberta (or EFA) agricultural association.
- The EFA enforces a quota system.
- Henk’s daughter Lyndsay says the EFA targeted Henk because Henk was not participating in the EFA’s quota system.
- Writing on Facebook Lyndsay wrote, “this morning, my dad Henk Van Essen was arrested because of chickens and because of eggs. More specifically, he was arrested because the Egg Farmers of Alberta don’t like that he can sell inspected eggs to people without paying millions into their quota system.”
- The EFA’s quota system is part of Canada’s supply management system that manages dairy farmers and in the case of eggs requires farmers with more than 300 hens to register and hold a quota to sell eggs commercially.
- Supply management is a system that has existed for decades and is kept in place to situate dairy farmers largely in Quebec.
- Supply management is something that all major political parties in this country won’t touch and something that is already said to be off the table in negotiations with the US.
- It’s also a cause why in periods without avian flu eggs and other dairy products are cheaper in the US as anyone who does cross border groceries will know.
- Henk is said to earn a “modest” income from selling eggs and isn’t making six figures but the fact he was successful was enough for the RCMP to send 5 vehicles to take him into custody.
- This story was only broken in the Western Standard and the Egg Farmers of Alberta did not respond to comment.
- The Canadian Wheat Board was a similar cartel that controlled the marketing of wheat and barley in Western Canada.
- The Wheat Board was ended in 2012 by the Harper government’s Bill C-18 that saw the wheat board become a company on the track towards privatization.
- We need to be realistic and realize that if dairy wasn’t a sacred cow in eastern Canada then we’d likely be seeing discussions about ending supply management more regularly.
- There is no reason why dairy products subject to food and safety regulations from health Canada can’t flow across the US/Canada border.
- Supply management is just one topic that hasn’t been covered by the mainstream political parties or mainstream media this campaign.
- One could say it’s due to the focus on ending almost a decade of Liberal government or the United States but the Canadian electorates lack of desire to touch controversial subjects is something that is a hallmark of Canadian politics.
- The Alberta government has also been very quiet on this issue but one may wonder if it’s even crossed the radar since it got very little conventional media coverage.
- At the end of the day you may not think that you could get arrested for selling something as innocuous as eggs in Canada but here we are.
- Last week we discussed the Liberal election platform, including its $130B in new spending that would see Canada add a sizable amount to the debt over the next 4 years at least. This week we're going to take a look at the Conservative platform, which was released on Tuesday, the day after advance voting ended.
- If the Conservatives form government in this election, members of Parliament can expect to be in the House of Commons all summer long as the Tories pass three laws meant to crack down on crime, boost resource production and tackle affordability, Pierre Poilievre said Friday.
- At a campaign event in Saskatoon Poilievre said: “I have some good news and bad news: The good news is Canadians can elect a government that will bring change. The bad news for the politicians is that your summer vacation is cancelled.”
- He also pledged that if he becomes prime minister he will waste no time in calling U.S. President Donald Trump: “We will obviously call President Trump and tell him that the tariffs are destructive and they should be lifted, on Day 1, and a new deal negotiated. But what we will not do is put Canadian taxes, effectively Canadian tariffs, on Canadian industry. That is the exact kind of economic Liberal insanity that got us into this mess over the last 10 years.”
- Poilievre attacked Liberal Leader Mark Carney’s plan to keep the industrial carbon price in place, saying his party will end the industrial price.
- The Conservative leader said his government will pass three laws in the first 100 days called the affordability for a change act, the safe streets for a change act, and the bring home our jobs for a change act. Poilievre laid out the main planks of his platform in those three categories on Friday.
- The affordability law will “deliver urgent relief to Canadians,” he said. That will $54 billion worth of cuts to “bureaucracy, consultants, foreign aid and other waste” as well as an income-tax cut, Poilievre said.
- What the Conservatives have proposed is a reduction in the tax rate on the lowest income bracket from 15 per cent to 12.25 per cent -- a drop of 2.25 points -- that their platform said will be phased in over four years. It won’t take full effect until 2028-29. The party’s platform says it will cost just over $1 billion in the first year, rising to just shy of $14 billion by the fourth year.
- The safe streets act refers to 'a massive omnibus crime bill' that according to Poilievre will be the 'single biggest crackdown on crime in Canadian history'.
- The bring jobs home act refers to the income tax cut, but also a whole lot of tax reform that "rewards work and saving, closes loopholes for the wealthy and well-connected, eliminates unnecessary red tape and makes it easier for Canadians to file and understand their taxes." The platform also promises to repeal what it refers to as anti-development laws, like the West Coast tanker ban (C-48), the No More Development Law (C-69) and to boost supports for energy and resource development.
- Overall, the Conservative platform predicts declining deficits over four years, albeit smaller ones than those presented by Mark Carney. Both parties are looking at hefty new gross spending commitments over a four-year term: $129 billion for the Liberals and $110 billion for the Conservatives.
- Douglas Porter, chief economist at Bank of Montreal said: “The big story is that even under optimistic projections, we are looking at significant deficits for years to come. The Conservatives are clearly more concerned with keeping the deficit in check, although both projections are likely on the optimistic side, given the many campaign priorities.”
- David Detomasi, a professor of international business at Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business, said there are similarities in the two plans, which both call for more housing, military spending and resource development, though the Conservatives lean more heavily on cost cuts.
- Detomasi said it’s difficult to judge what effect the cost cutting will have on Canada’s economy and overall fiscal position. Both the Liberals and Conservatives are also promising tax cuts, and the bottom line is that there doesn’t appear to be enough there to pay for either party’s programs and spending plans and what they’ll need to deal with Trump, he said.
- Ultimately, Canada is facing years of financial deficit regardless of who they're voting for. Maybe that is more because of the past decade rather than the next decade.
- Supplementals:
Firing Line
- Donald Trump and the comments that Canada could become the 51st state have been in play for the media since Justin Trudeau made his November visit to Mar-a-Lago.
- As it later came out through American media the entire idea of the 51st state was germinated by Justin Trudeau.
- Donald Trump asked Trudeau what would happen if the US imposed tariffs and that answer led us to where we are today.
- In numerous American press conferences Trump said when he asked Trudeau that question, Trudeau responded, “Canada would dissolve, Canada wouldn’t be able to function.”
- It was at that point that Trump suggested Canada become a state if we are so reliant on the United States.
- This idea of the 51st state caught on, scared Canadians who consume legacy media daily, inspired numerous covid like movements, driven some to mental illness, and set the narrative for this election campaign.
- But if you don’t follow the American media you’d be forgiven if you think that it was all on the US President.
- This brings us to today where Mark Carney revealed more elements of his March 28th call with Donald Trump.
- Specifically, that the 51st state was brought up yet again.
- Why now? Polls have seen a marginal tightening of the race post-debate and the Liberals and media needed the campaign dialog turned to Trump yet again.
- Many would think that it’s Trump who brings up the 51st state comments but this week it was the Liberals and last time in the campaign it was CBC journalist Katie Simpson who asked the question in a White House press briefing. Following both cases the 51st state narrative became dominant again here in Canada.
- The difference in tone of the call as first reported and today is interesting.
- At first Carney said the call was respectful, Trump respected Canada’s sovereignty, and that the call was productive.
- But now? 51st state and the advantages of joining the United States!
- The question at hand is why did Carney lie? And at the very least lie by omission?
- With how much the media has relied on the 51st state narrative and governor trudeau, do we believe Carney? Do we believe the media?
- Without independent reporting, there is no way of knowing.
- This portion of the story summarizes how the 51st state comments came about and why the media and the Liberals love talking about them and using them to rally Canadians.
- But we also have to realize that the media’s reporting on Carney’s call hasn’t been entirely truthful.
- Mark Carney’s glowing quotes about Donald Trump have been left to the sidelines by most of the media.
- Reporting in the National Post highlights a quote that would make the elbows up Canadian crowd livid.
- In their March 28th call Carney reportedly told President Trump that he would “need to talk tough about America and Trump” during the election.
- Carney is also said to have called Trump “a transformative president” and that he’d like to work with him.
- The staff from the Prime Minister’s Office deny these comments but that’s what the sources say and as the media says we must trust anonymous sources when used.
- This entire construction by the media is nonsense. Why? The entire Liberal campaign revolved around the assertion that Trump betrayed us and Carney as Prime Minister will take a hard line in negotiations.
- From the Prime Minister saying our relationship as we knew it with the US is over to tariffs the reality is that the reality in this March 28th call was nothing like that.
- This is a perfectly viable way of dealing with and speaking to Donald Trump as he is someone who likes to be praised.
- However, whipping almost half the nation into a frenzy, a mental health crisis, and believing that we’re about to be annexed all for political gain raises some important questions about narrative and framing in an election campaign where the real issues have been brushed aside in favour of an American style fear campaign.
- This makes us ask, is it all for show?
- In 2014 as Bank of England governor Mark Carney told BBC’s economic editor that a wink he made during a press conference signified that, “yeah, we both know this theatre.”
- Carney winked at the cameras at Rideau Hall the day he became PM.
- He also winked at a senator when appearing at committee last May.
- The significance of course is that politics is theatre and all too often the media and residents of our country get wound up in what is ultimately for show.
- In this case what has been presented is an entirely different plan that Carney has for dealing with Trump compared to what we’ve seen on the campaign trail.
- As John Ivison in the National Post said, “Treating voters like the audience of a conjuring trick would be an inauspicious end to this campaign.”
- We’ve been had.
- Supplementals:
Quote of the Week
“This morning, my dad Henk Van Essen was arrested because of chickens and because of eggs. More specifically, he was arrested because the Egg Farmers of Alberta don’t like that he can sell inspected eggs to people without paying millions into their quota system.” - Lyndsay van Essen on her father’s arrest after he sold eggs.
Word of the Week
Tradecraft - refers to the techniques, methods, and technologies used in modern espionage.
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Show Data
- Episode Title: We’ve Been Had
- Teaser: Another report details repressive foreign interference in Canada, an Alberta farmer is arrested for overselling eggs, and the Conservatives release their 100 day platform. Also Mark Carney changes his story on Trump’s phone call.
- Production Code: WC-415-2025-04-26
- Recorded Date: April 26, 2025
- Release Date: April 27, 2025
- Duration: 1:02:26
- Edit Notes: None
Podcast Summary Notes
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