According to a recent survey conducted by Nanos Research, the majority of Canadians are worried about Chinese interference in their country and view it as a serious threat to their democracy. The survey, which was based on 1,012 online surveys of Canadians aged 18 and above, found that over nine in ten Canadians are concerned about Beijing’s interference on Canadian soil. The poll also found that older Canadians were more worried about the issue than younger ones. The survey was published on March 3 and commissioned by CTV News.
The poll results come amid calls for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to launch a public inquiry to investigate reports of China’s alleged foreign interference in Canadian affairs, including its meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. One of the allegations is that China provided funding to at least 11 candidates in the 2019 campaign, and there were reports of Beijing interfering with Canada’s elections in 2021 with the aim of having a minority Liberal government elected. Trudeau has insisted that the Canadian election process is intact.
The Nanos poll found that nearly all respondents agreed that Beijing’s effort to interfere in Canada’s 2021 federal election is a threat to the nation’s democracy. When asked about Canada’s ability to protect elections from foreign interference, only 18 percent of respondents said the country is doing a good or very good job, while just under 40 percent believed the country is doing a poor or very poor job of protecting the integrity of elections against foreign state actors.
On March 2, the Commons House Procedure and Affairs committee passed a motion calling on the Trudeau government to launch a public inquiry on China’s election interference. The motion was passed through a 6-5 vote with Liberal MPs voting against it.