Foreign Interference Targets Canadian Political Landscape

A Canadian government agency has detected a coordinated campaign targeting Liberal Party leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland, traced to a Chinese WeChat account. The campaign leveraged over 30 accounts, prompting Freeland to denounce intimidation attempts. The Chinese Embassy in Canada denied involvement or interest in the leadership race.

The Canadian government has identified a coordinated and malicious campaign targeting the leadership bid of Liberal Party candidate Chrystia Freeland. According to the Rapid Response Mechanism Canada, this interference has been linked to a WeChat account associated with the Chinese government.

RRM Canada reported that the campaign involved over 30 WeChat news accounts, all participating in disseminating information targeting Freeland. This effort has seen significant engagement and was brought to the attention of both Freeland's campaign team and the Liberal Party executive through a formal briefing.

In response, Freeland expressed her resolve not to be intimidated by foreign interference, highlighting her experience in dealing with authoritarian regimes. Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Canada dismissed the allegations, asserting that such claims are based on fabricated expert remarks and emphasizing that China has no interest in Canada's internal political matters.

(With inputs from agencies.)