Prime Minister and Canadian MPs targeted in Chinese online propaganda campaign

Between August and September there was a major Chinese online propaganda campaign aimed at smearing and discrediting the Prime Minister as well as Canadian MPs. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the campaign was “linked to the People’s Republic of China” and also aimed to “silence criticism of the Chinese Communist Party.”

According to Canadian authorities, a network of “bots,” software that perform automated tasks, left “thousands of messages” on the social media accounts of dozens of members of Parliament and political figures, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Opposition Leader Pierre Poiliève, accusing them of “ criminal offenses and ethical violations.”

However, nothing observed “posed a threat to their safety or the safety of their families,” Foreign Affairs Canada added.

Thousands of accounts were deleted at the end of August

For its part, Beijing has denied any involvement and accused Ottawa of “deceiving public opinion.” “Canada has repeatedly said China is spreading disinformation against politicians. But he never provided any evidence,” said Chinese diplomatic spokesman Mao Ning, asking Ottawa to “stop spreading lies about China.”

In late August, Meta, Facebook’s parent company, announced it had removed thousands of accounts that were part of a major online Chinese propaganda operation. According to a report published by Meta, this campaign would have been active on over fifty platforms and forums, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and even X (formerly Twitter). According to the company’s report, the network also regularly posted positive comments about China while criticizing the United States, Western foreign policy, and “journalists and researchers” critical of the current regime.

Sino-Canadian relations have deteriorated sharply this year after accusations of Chinese interference in Canadian elections and attempts to intimidate MPs led to the expulsion of a Chinese diplomat in May. At the time, the United States and four of its allies, including Canada, accused China of being behind a major cyberattack.