Former Canadian Ambassador ChinaGuy Saint-Jacques says Beijing's interference in Canadian democracy is worse than ever before.
Earlier this week, a report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliament (NSICOP) said current federal politicians were “informed” of the participants in the Foreign interference plan.
The report did not name the men, and the Liberal government has refused to identify them, citing concerns about sharing intelligence.
Saint-Jacques told Global News he was not surprised by the explosive allegations, but he was puzzled by the government's lack of response.
“It’s amazing to me that the situation seems to be getting worse over time,” Saint-Jacques said. “It’s incredible that more isn’t being done to deal with this situation.”
Saint-Jacques said that when he was ambassador a decade ago, he was involved in discussions about congressmen, senators, local politicians and political staff colluding with China.
The former ambassador said Canada had been “complacent” for nearly a decade when it came to its relationship with China and federal leaders needed to take a tougher approach.
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“As long as there is evidence, we should punish those people,” he said.
“In other cases, when it's clear to us what's going on, it's about talking to those people and telling them, 'This behavior will not be tolerated.'”
The release of the report has raised concerns among security experts who say it is difficult to prosecute MPs found to be collaborating with foreign countries under current Canadian law. The Liberal government has introduced Bill C-70, which aims to address foreign interference and would require those acting on behalf of foreign governments in Canada to list themselves on the register.
“I think it will put people on the line to be prosecuted,” Saint-Jacques said. “I think that’s a welcome step.”
It is unclear whether the bill will be implemented before the next general election, which must be held by October 2025.
But Saint-Jacques said much more needs to be done before the next election. He advocated that political parties “clean up” the process for nominating political candidates and change the rules so that only Canadian citizens can vote for candidates.
“The possibility that (foreign agents) are involved in the selection process of the federal leader is a matter of concern,” Saint-Jacques said. “Our democracy is under attack.”
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