China discouraged Canadians from voting for Conservatives in 2021 federal election: report

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) may have discouraged Canadians of Chinese heritage from voting for the Conservatives in the 2021 federal election, a federal research unit has found.

According to analysis by the Rapid Response Mechanism Canada group, which tracks foreign interference, the CCP may have used accounts across Chinese social media to share the narrative that the Tories would severely damage relations with Beijing.

The Canadian Press reports that the report was prepared a week before Canadians voted in 2021.

Former Conservative Party leader Erin O'Toole, who led his party to form the official Opposition, said on a podcast after the election that the party had lost eight or nine seats to foreign interference from China.

"Rapid Response Mechanism Canada, based at Global Affairs Canada, produces open data analysis to chart trends, strategies and tactics in foreign interference," The Canadian Press explains.

"Its work supports the G7 RRM, an initiative to strengthen coordination to identify and respond to threats to the major industrial democracies."

Conservative MP and foreign affairs critic Michael Chong said in an interview that the analysis shows another piece of evidence that the CPC in Beijing "interfered in the last general election by spreading disinformation."

The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa said in a statement that "China has always adhered to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries."