An advocacy group is criticizing a report on foreign election interference for causing harm to the Chinese community in Canada.
The Stop Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Advocacy Group says they are concerned about the way Chinese Canadians are represented in the Initial Report by the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference report.
The group says it paints a target on the backs of members of their community.
“My concern is, we shouldn’t be painted as Chinese spies, just simply because I have yellow skin, black hair, and I was born in China,” Ivan Pak, the group’s co-founder said.
The 200-page report outlines numerous concerns about potential state actors trying to interfere in Canadian elections, particularly China.
The document makes serious accusations of attempted interference by China in Metro Vancouver, including limiting political appearances for unfavourable candidates, and misinformation spread in Chinese language news and social media platforms.
The New Democratic Party’s MP for Vancouver East Jenny Kwan says she believes she was also targetted.
“There’s no question in my mind that the diaspora community and, particularly, the Chinese Canadian community has been impacted,” she said.
She says hate-related incidents are happening because of interference, but the inquiry is required to get to the truth.
“So we’re not under the same cloud of suspicion, for elected officials to be suspected of being ‘traitors,’ quote unquote, of Canada, and if we don’t, sort of, get to the bottom of it we will continue to live under this cloud,” she said.
Pak says China may be trying to interfere with Canadian elections but it is not just the Chinese Canadian politicians who are being influenced.
“They are smart enough to stop any kind of foreign interference, and I am confident that most of them are loyal to Canada, including myself,” he said.
He says it is important for Canada to protect itself, but not at the cost of harming Chinese people living in the country.