This article is part of the Reality Check series by Canada's National Observer. Have a question for us? Reach out at [email protected].
Claim: Is the Chinese government supporting Mark Carney?
At a press conference this week, officials from the Security, Intelligence, and Threats to Elections (SITE) panel revealed that they found an online campaign linked to the Chinese government focused on Mark Carney.
The panel says there was a campaign launched on WeChat by Youli-Youmian, the most popular news account on the platform. Reporters from The Toronto Star reviewed the posts, and found they referred to Carney as “a successful banker” and economist, but also as a “black sheep” and “political temp.” SITE estimates the information reached a potential 3 million viewers. It’s unclear what the goal of these posts was.
Then, yesterday, photos emerged of Mark Carney with members of JCCC (Jiangsu Commerce Council of Canada), which has been described as a “pro-Beijing lobby group in the Toronto area,” igniting rumors of Carney’s connection with the People’s Republic of China.
The JCCC published the photos on their website, and alleged that they had an “in depth meeting” with the “soon to be appointed prime minister.”
Verdict: False
Regarding the WeChat posts, the SITE panel stressed that they had “not found any instances that impact Canada’s ability to have a free and fair election.” They said that the Youli-Youmian information had not spread to other platform.
When asked about the alleged meeting with the JCCC members — which was published in the Globe and Mail — Carney shot back firmly.
“I’m sorry, but you can’t believe everything you read in the Globe and Mail,” Carney said. “I’ve never heard of this group. I certainly didn’t have a set up meeting with this group. Full stop. So check your sources before you write things like that.” The Globe and Mail published a rebuttal yesterday, which included Carney’s reaction to the paper’s reporting.
A dive into social media and photo-tracing tools reveals the photos that were posted on the JCCC website appeared to have been taken at a campaign event in mid-February, in Brampton, Ontario, when Carney was running for party leadership. According to both Carney and his campaign, he took photos with many supporters that night, but the JCCC appear to have misrepresented that meeting.
“I’m a politician. I go to events, where there are hundreds or thousands, over the course of a day, of different people there. That is not a meeting. If someone happens to be in the room, takes a picture with me, that’s not a meeting,” Carney said on the campaign trail yesterday.
The National Observer reached out to the Liberal Party, and staff reiterated that no meeting had taken place. A Liberal staffer told us that “no specific meeting with that organization has ever been organized or taken. The web post referenced in the Globe and Mail article is inaccurate, as is the suggestion that Mr. Carney had any such in-depth discussion.”
The campaign also shared a letter that it is sending to the JCCC, demanding the retraction and removal of false information from the JCC website.
Comments
I see nothing wrong with our political leaders meeting Indian or Chinese representatives. These countries are big markets and we all agree that we need to diversify our relations and commerce away from the USA. Meeting with potential partners is completely different with influencing the election results.
At this moment, under pressure from the USA, Canada imposes a 100% import tariff on Chinese EV's and China has a counter tariff on Canadian canola. It seems to me that we have an opportunity to negotiate a reduction in those tariffs and to achieve three benefits: reduce the pain for our farmers, increase the competition on electric vehicles and affirm our independence from the USA. I sincerely hope that our politicians start talking with Chinese, and with Indians on other matters. Canada cannot live in isolation (nor can the USA!).
Framing is important. They are called overdose prevention sites.