During her testimony to the House of Commons Procedure and House Affairs Committee on foreign interference, Cherie Wong, executive director of the Alliance Canada Hong Kong, highlighted that some members of the Chinese community lack trust in elected officials due to their perceived close ties with pro-Beijing organizations and proxies. Wong also stated that security agencies have failed to be responsive and that there is an overarching lack of trust in their ability to deal with foreign interference. Wong’s group advocates for democracy in Hong Kong and against PRC interference in Canada. Wong identified the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the PRC as a driving force behind the interference and stated that the department operates on interconnected dependencies between politics, economics, culture, technology, academia, governance and community, which most Western governments fail to grasp. She also mentioned that members of the diaspora do not report incidents to intelligence or security agencies anymore due to their inadequate response in the past. Lastly, Wong recounted how her advocacy led to threats against her, which were not taken seriously by the police. The lack of trust towards politicians and security agencies has been magnified by recent incidents, including reports of Chinese spy services intent on targeting Canadian MPs, and the lack of communication by the government machinery about foreign interference threats.