Canada urged to strengthen defences against foreign interference in elections
Hong Kong Watch urges Canada’s new government to strengthen defences against foreign interference in elections by rigorously implementing Bill C-70. This would protect the Hong Kong community from transnational repression aimed at influencing election results, including job loss, eviction, and harassment due to political opinions, as documented in Hong Kong Watch research.
It is deeply concerning that during the electoral campaigns of the 45th Federal Election that took place on 28 April, some ridings were marred by issues of foreign interference and transnational repression. Hong Kong Watch is now urging the Government of Canada to take more decisive action to address this critical issue, and explore additional measures to shield candidates from aggressive foreign interference in future elections.
This call for action follows a report from the Government of Canada on 21 April, which states that the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force had detected a transnational repression (TNR) operation on social media platforms popular among Chinese-speaking users in Canada, including Facebook, WeChat, TikTok, RedNote, and Douyin.
The operation primarily targeted Joe Tay, the Conservative Party candidate for Don Valley North and a broadcaster for “Hong Kong Station”. In December 2024, the Hong Kong government placed a HKD 1 million (CAD 178,172) bounty on Mr Tay, alongside five other Hong Kong activists, in retaliation for Mr Tay’s pro-democracy advocacy on Hong Kong.
The SITE Task Force identified coordinated activity on social media aimed at denigrating Mr Tay and portraying him as a criminal, including a mock “wanted poster” and disparaging comments. Joe Tay paused in-person campaigning as a result of this aggressive interference operation.
Even more concerningly, this transnational repression operation was implicitly endorsed by some electoral candidates. During a 22 January 2025 press conference reported by MingPao (Toronto Edition), Canadian politician Paul Chiang, the then-incumbent Liberal candidate for Markham-Unionville, made alarming remarks suggesting that Joe Tay should be handed over to the Chinese Consulate in Toronto to claim the HKD 1 million bounty.
Paul Chiang stepped down from the race following a joint statement led by Hong Kong Watch, an open letter from Hong Kong Watch to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and an announcement by the RCMP that it would investigate the comments.
While Canada’s electoral system remains robust, fair, and resilient, safeguarding its long-term stability and integrity is critical to maintaining trust in democratic institutions. This non-partisan issue demands unified action to ensure electoral integrity in an era of fragile democratic trust.
外國干預加拿大選舉問題嚴峻 香港監察促新政府嚴格執法打擊跨國鎮壓
香港監察呼籲加拿大新一屆政府嚴格執行《C-70法案》，加強防範外國干預選舉。法案將保護香港社群免受旨在影響選舉結果的跨國鎮壓，包括因政治觀點而失業、失去居所，或受到騷擾。香港監察研究曾記錄這些威脅。
在4月28日舉行的第45屆聯邦大選的競選活動期間，部分選區受到外國干預和跨國鎮壓問題困擾，令人深感擔憂。香港監察現促請加拿大政府採取更果斷的行動來應對這個嚴峻問題，並研究採取額外措施，在未來選舉中保護候選人免受外國干預攻擊。
加拿大政府4月21日發表的報告指出，選舉安全及情報威脅特別工作小組（Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force）在加拿大中文用戶常用的社交媒體平台上，包括Facebook、微信、TikTok、小紅書和抖音，偵察到跨國鎮壓行動。
相關行動主要針對Don Valley North選區保守黨候選人兼網台「香港台」創辦人鄭敬基（Joe Tay）。2024年12月，香港政府因鄭敬基的香港民主倡議活動，以100萬港元（178,172加元）懸紅通緝他和另外五名香港社運人士。
工作小組發現社交媒體上有協調行動詆毀鄭敬基並將他描繪成罪犯，其中包括發布偽造通緝海報和貶損留言。鄭敬基因為這些激進的干預行動而暫停實體競選活動。
更令人擔憂的是，有些候選人暗示支持這些跨國鎮壓行動。根據《明報》（多倫多版）報導，2025年1月22日，當時的Markham–Unionville選區自由黨候選人蔣振宇（Paul Chiang）在新聞發布會上發表令人驚恐的言論，建議將鄭敬基送到中國駐多倫多領事館，以領取100萬港元賞金。
繼香港監察帶領發表聯合聲明、向加拿大皇家騎警發出公開信，以及皇家騎警宣布將調查相關言論後，蔣振宇退出競選。
雖然加拿大的選舉制度仍然穩健、公正和堅韌，但維護其長期穩定和誠信對於維持對民主制度的信任至關重要。這個無分黨派的問題需要以統一行動處理，以確保在民主信任脆弱的時代中，選舉誠信得到保障。