Canadian politicians’ China witch-hunt threatens democracy more than Beijing

In recent months, Canada’s capital has been gripped by a manufactured scandal involving alleged Chinese interference, leading to a wave of hysteria that has paralysed the city. The situation has been exacerbated by sensationalist reporting and hyperbolic politicians, who have claimed that Chinese agents are covertly undermining Canada’s democratic institutions. Amidst this panic, some have turned to Canada’s law-abiding spy services for reassurance.

This frenzy has not been confined to Ottawa, as it has also affected the House of Commons committees probing Chinese influence campaigns. While Chinese interference is indeed a cause for concern, the witch-hunt-like atmosphere and guilt-by-association accusations have become dangerous and corrosive. Lives, livelihoods, and reputations have been damaged by inept spies and their grateful conduits in the media and on Parliament Hill.

Members of the opposition Conservative Party, the separatist Bloc Quebecois (BQ), and the New Democrats (NDP) have all contributed to this deplorable situation. Tory MPs have sought to out-smear each other in a bid to curry favour with their demagogue leader, Pierre Poilievre. The nadir of this ugliness occurred when a Conservative MP asked a witness whether former Governor General of Canada David Johnston was an “elite capture” of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) based on his ties to China.

In an interim report, Johnston found that China’s influence campaigns had no impact on recent Canadian elections, that media reports surrounding the interference were overblown or “false,” and that loyal Canadians were being tarred as disloyal. However, this did nothing to quell the animus in the hearings. The separatist BQ, meanwhile, seemed to forget the past misdeeds of the security services they now revere, while a starry-eyed NDP MP allowed two spies to claim that their secretive and accountability-allergic agencies were committed to openness, transparency, and the rule of law.

The only politician who appeared to approach the delicate issue of Chinese interference with the calmness and intelligence it requires was Ontario NDP MP Matthew Green. The hysteria surrounding this issue has led to a disconcerting atmosphere in Canadian politics, with lives and reputations being damaged in the process.