Intelligence whistleblower publishes op-ed on election interference

In case you’ve been living under a rock – or locked up in a re-education centre – the Canadian political establishment has been rocked by revelations from both the Globe and Mail and Global News regarding interference in Canadian elections by the Communist Party of China.

This afternoon in the Globe, the whistleblower that formed the “backbone” of this reveal (according to an attached note from Editor-in-Chief David Walmsley) penned an op-ed explaining why they did this and what’s at stake.

Respecting the subscriber paywall, I’ll just report on the news of this op-ed (do subscribe to the Globe and Mail).

First, the whistleblower is a Liberal voter and hopes to vote Liberal again in the future. This will be an interesting point to some, as a standard (weak) defence against the facts is the allegation of partisanship. These leaks have been damaging for Justin Trudeau’s government first-and-foremost, so this will clarify some of the waters which have been muddied in the defence of the Prime Minister.

From the op-ed, we learned that the leaks were instigated as a result of inaction by supervisors, and inaction by top government officials to do anything on “the threat” which “grew in urgency” and that “serious action remained unforthcoming”. In fact, as the threat of foreign interference grew, and as elections passed, the whistleblower perceived that these warnings were only being ignored.

Additionally, serious consequences have weighed on the public servant. Worries about family, prison, career were considered but were ultimately weighed against the public interest. Further, a desire to protect any Canadian against coercion by a hostile foreign power gave weight to the whistleblower’s decision to go public – and they expect to eventually be unmasked (“if and when”) for their role in bringing this to light.

It’s important to note that as the source of these stories, this individual does not believe that the government itself would be different had there been no interference by Beijing. Furthermore, that no politician has betrayed their country via the CCP’s meddling. Finally, it is the Chinese diaspora that has borne the brunt of these manipulations and one should conclude that Canada’s institutions should protect them from such an assault.

“Knowing that while what I have done may be unlawful, I cannot say that it was wrong”

It is not known where the whistleblower works – whether at CSIS, the PCO, PMO, or another government department or agency with access to classified information.

Who is the Canadian whistleblower? For now, I get to speculate using the Archer checkpoint model for Stable Diffusion.

Liberal MPs look to protect Katie Telford

The slow grind of the story of alleged interference by Beijing’s communist government in Canadian elections continued this week.

The Prime Minister announced that he will appoint a special rapporteur to investigate these claims. This has placated few outside of Liberal partisans and a small group within the national media. Most everyone else is calling for a public inquiry or a judicial review.

Conservatives have been trying to get PROC – the Parlimentary committee for Procedure and House Affairs – to compel Trudeau’s Chief of Staff to testify. Katie Telford, according to some knowledgeable observers, would have been briefed by CSIS had Canada’s intelligence agency sought to inform the government about domestic electoral interference by a hostile foreign power. It is reported that CSIS briefed the government on China’s actions on two previous occasions.

The Liberals on the committee are employing stalling tactics, such as filibustering and even not showing up to meetings, to prevent the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff and longest running senior advisor from testifying before the committee.

For their part, Liberals seem to complain that it is unusual for staff to testify before Parliamentary committees. This is true and usually held as a courtesy by all parties. Indeed, as they argue, it is the politicians who accountable for the actions of their staff that act on their behalf. However, Telford has testified before committee during two previous occasions. Further, if she was briefed on foreign interference, she is a key witness that can provide insight on the government’s response.

She also wouldn’t be the first PMO Chief of Staff to testify before committee. All three Prime Ministerial Chiefs of Staff in the Harper government (Ian Brodie, Guy Giorno, and Nigel Wright) testified before various Parliamentary committees as I noted in 2019.

Telford could be of service to her government by testifying about whether she was briefed by CSIS. The Prime Minister maintains that he was not briefed on Liberal election candidates receiving funds from China. If so, this is concerning as this is what the supposed CSIS leaks allege. The Prime Minister is either wilfully ignorant about this affair, dangerously incompetent, or the allegations themselves are entirely work of fiction.

It would serve Canadians to find out one way or the other.

Kevin Vuong blasts Justin Trudeau over election interference

We don’t often hear from Independent MP Kevin Vuong. The Liberal Party of Canada disavowed Vuong as their candidate during the 2021 election in order to insulate themselves after some previous – but serious – allegations against the Toronto resident came to light during the campaign. Vuong ended up winning the election and now sits as an independent MP for the riding of Spadina–Fort York.

Today, during Question Period, Vuong stood up to ask Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the alleged CCP election interference scheme currently dogging his former party.

“Mr. Speaker, foreign operatives have interfered in Canada’s electoral system and our democracy. Media and CSIS documents have indicated that members of the Liberal Party and caucus were involved. Money and instant on-demand supporters were used to get pro-China candidates elected, and anti-China ones defeated. Cabinet and PMO were well-briefed on the extent of foreign interference, yet nothing was done. Why is the Prime Minister eager to turn a blind eye to shady Liberal nominations, sketchy donations, and having pro-Beijing MPs in his own caucus? Will his personally-selected special rapporteur also be investigating the Liberal Party?

Independent MP Kevin Vuong during Question Period, March 8th, 2023

In response, the Prime Minister gave what has become his standard boilerplate response which you can watch below.

Vuong elicited cheers from the opposition benches whose members may have been surprised to hear a former Liberal take the gloves off to take on his former party.

The now independent MP was ejected as a candidate for the Liberal Party in 2021 after it came to light that he was facing a fine from the Canadian Forces for failing to disclose a previous criminal charge to his commanding officer. That charge had been withdrawn in 2019.

Of course, Vuong’s allegations of CCP interference have not been proven in any court. No charges are pending, and no criminal investigation has been confirmed.

It is still unknown if Justin Trudeau knew about Beijing’s efforts to fund the election campaigns of Liberal candidates during the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, though Global reports that PMO was briefed twice about these concerns.