A 2019 government report warned that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is influencing mainstream Canadian journalists, notably those who work for Chinese-Canadian outlets in Vancouver and Toronto.
According to Sam Cooper of The Bureau, an unredacted June 2019 National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) report stated that the China was directing journalists to produce favourable media coverage towards Beijing-friendly electoral candidates, as well as pro-CCP propaganda.
Formed in 2017, NSICOP reports directly to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The document allegedly asserts that the CCP has been feeding foreign media outlets, including some unnamed ones in Canada, “massive infusions of money.”
“CSIS assesses that Canadian media outlets have been heavily targeted in this regard,” the report states.
“PRC [People’s Republic of China] authorities have… attempted to use Canadian media outlets in order to deliberately publish false or misleading information.”
Victor Ho, former editor of Sing Tao Daily – one of the most widely-read Chinese language newspapers in Canada – told Cooper his experiences corroborate the NSICOP report.
Although the report didn’t name which outlets are guilty of being captured by the CCP, it stated that the PRC Consulate in Vancouver grew relationships with “key editors, producers and high-ranking managers to exert influence over the individuals and, by extension, their media outlets.”
The NSICOP report alleges, “In 2015, the PRC Consulate in Vancouver developed a plan to influence specific British Columbia television stations to become ‘pro-China’ by directly providing them with information and news and offering exclusive invitations.”
In order to portray China in a positive light, Chinese Consulates bossed around journalist associations in Toronto and Vancouver and dictated which issues will be reported on, and from what angle.
Chinese Meddling in Canadian Media
A mass study of 32,502 articles from mainstream Canadian media between 2000 and 2018 found that “their coverage bolsters Chinese economic interests while glossing over its human rights problems.”
On the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index, China’s rank is 179th out of 180 countries, behind only North Korea, while Canada sits at 15th place.
In March, leaked intelligence reports indicated Trudeau lied about his awareness of the CCP interfering in Canada’s elections.
