Chinese 'police stations' in Canada are part of 'arsenal of interference': CSIS

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service has deemed seven Chinese "police stations" operating across Canada to be part of an "arsenal of interference" used by China on Canadian soil, according to a report published by La Presse on Monday.

The revelations, first discussed in a December 2022 CSIS Security Alert obtained by the outlet via the Access to Information Act, have shone light on the Chinese Communist Party's ability to exert influence in Canada. 

"'Police stations' in Canada contribute to foreign interference by the PRC [People's Republic of China]," CSIS stated in the 15-page document likely seen by senior officials in the Liberal government including, presumably, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The document was heavily redacted, but did state that "any foreign interference progressively weakens Canadian democracy, imperceptibly undermines the social cohesion so dearly acquired in a multicultural society and flouts the rights guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. […] CSIS continues to monitor this situation as it evolves."

Human rights watchdog Safeguard Defenders pointde out that the CCP's Ministry of Public Security has established these "police stations" in more than 50 countries, including Canada, with the goal of tracking, intimidating, and threatening Chinese dissidents living abroad.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have launched an investigation into the stations, which are located in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. In June, the RCMP claimed that it had "terminated illegal police activities in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia," but there was no mention of any arrests.

On July 21 a former RCMP officer was charged with "foreign interference" that included spying for China and bullying the Chinese diaspora in Canada.

Trudeau has been accused of ignoring intelligence from CSIS, or denying he ever received it in the first place. He initially responded to the Chinese election interference crisis with denial, suggesting he was not briefed by CSIS on the matter. Subsequent reports, however, revealed that CSIS did tell Trudeau that China interfered by financing candidates in Toronto.

On March 1, 2023, Privy Council National Security Advisor Jody Thomas said that the prime minister received a memo from the Privy Council Office about the operation, but added that she couldn't guarantee he'd actually read it.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino has also faced scrutiny over his repeated claimed that the stations were no longer operating. As CBC reports, many were still open at the time he made his statements.

Global Affairs Canada admitted on August 9 that China had unleashed a "coordinated network" of disinformation against Foreign Affairs Critic Michael Chong via a Chinese social media platform.

Chong and his family were harassed online, with attacks continuing even after the CCP's actions were revealed in the media. At the time, Special Rapporteur David Johnston was investigating foreign interference in Canada's electoral process. HIs final report is due to be released in October.