Canada Has to Get Serious About Foreign Threats to Citizens

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As a nation of immigrants, Canada has served as a refuge for all kinds of people who came here for all kinds of reasons.

Some simply wanted a better life for themselves and their families. Some were fleeing war or conflict zones. Some came as students and decided to stay and contribute to our society. And some emigrated from foreign lands where they were persecuted (because of their political or religious views). Cases in point would include Iran, Eritrea, Rwanda, Russia, and China.

Heck, even those who point out that Communist Party leader and autocrat Xi Jinping looks like Winnie the Pooh—he really does!—are game for PRC goons.

And the government of Canada’s response? Largely… meh.

What of the effect on those China has decided are “enemies”? Aside from having one’s image deep-faked, or one’s email accounts and cellphones hacked, there is a very real threat to family members still living in the PRC. The message delivered is stark: stop speaking out against China or your relatives will find themselves in “difficulty.”

Many are reluctant to come forward with these wanton attacks on their reputations and safety. Part of that unwillingness to report these incidents may stem from linguistic or cultural limitations, but I imagine another huge factor comes down to “why bother?”  The Liberal government’s record on this file has left much to be desired and has, at times, undermined our security intelligence agencies, which have been desperately trying to bring this issue to their attention. In the past, the leadership even accused those who raise concerns about the Chinese communist regime of engaging in “anti-Asian racism.”

In the meantime, China keeps doing what it has been doing for decades. Beijing must feel pretty confident that it will be able to continue its repression with no significant pushback. As a result, Canadians of Chinese origin pay the price.

This is just one more example—of many—of how Canadian governments treat issues of national security and public safety with a complete lack of seriousness. We should not be so naive as to think that other regimes are not taking notes and arriving at a conclusion that they can implement similar programs, with similar shoulder shrugs from Canadian officials.

We owe it to all our newcomers, regardless of their origin, to ensure their safety from the dictatorships from which they fled to our land. It is well past time for Canada to openly face this phenomenon and take steps to punish those behind it—either by making arrests and laying charges or expelling diplomats. Countries like China will always deny that they are behind these moves (“the Chinese government strictly abides by international law and the sovereignty of other countries and the notion of ’transnational repression' is a groundless accusation, fabricated by a handful of countries and organizations to slander China.") but we know better.

Prime Minister Carney would do well to mark a shift from his predecessor and act decisively in the face of China’s interference in Canada.