Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announcing during a press conference that he will appoint a special investigator to decide whether there should be a public inquiry into reports of Chinese interference in Canada's elections. Ottawa, Ontario, March 6, 2023. Credit: Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP Newsroom
Allegations of Chinese meddling in domestic politics have sparked a crisis in Canada involving Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s family and his ruling Liberal party, while again raising questions about the flow of Chinese money into Western democratic processes. Few, though, see any easy answers.
The turmoil in Canada has sprung from a series of intelligence leaks in March to the Canadian newspaper, The Globe and Mail, with one report focusing on a $103,000 (C$140,000) donation made in 2014 to a foundation established in honor of Trudeau’s late father, Pierre — who served twice as the country's prime minister.
Canadian Security Intelligence Service documents cited by the Globe suggest one of the donors — Zhang Bin — had close ties to China’s United Front Work Department (UFWD), a Communist Party organ that for decades has sought to advance China’s interests abroad. Last week, the entire board of the Trudeau Foundation resigned. Meanwhile, Trudeau’s refusal to
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