CSIS warned Prime Minister's Office in 2023 that China 'clandestinely and deceptively' interfered in elections

Canada's spy agency be‐ lieves the Chinese govern‐ ment "clandestinely and deceptively" interfered in both the 2019 and 2021 fed‐ eral elections - and a top secret briefing note dis‐ cussed at the Foreign Inter‐ ference Commission shows the Canadian Security In‐ telligence Service (CSIS) told the Prime Minister's Office about it in February 2023.

The document, described by one lawyer appearing be‐ fore the commission's public inquiry as "remarkable," was tabled on Monday.

It is a briefing for the Prime Minister's Office drafted following the publica‐ tion of stories by The Globe and Mail and Global News that contained intelligence leaks about foreign interfer‐ ence by the People's Republic of China (PRC).

"We know the PRC clan‐ destinely and deceptively in‐ terfered both in the 2019 and 2021 general elections. In both cases, [foreign interfer‐ ence ... was] pragmatic in nature and focused primarily in supporting those viewed to be either 'pro-PRC' or 'neu‐ tral' on issues of interest to the PRC government," the document says under the subhead "Assertions in Media Reporting."

The document alleges that at least 11 candidates and 13 staff members were implicated in foreign interfer‐ ence by the Chinese govern‐ ment, and that multiple polit‐ ical parties were involved.

Another CSIS document, tabled earlier in the inquiry, refers to seven Liberal candi‐ dates and four from the Con‐ servative Party of Canada.

"We also observed online and media activities aimed at discouraging Canadians, par‐ ticularly of Chinese heritage, from supporting the Conser‐ vative Party, leader Erin O'‐ Toole, and particularly Steveston-Richmond East Candidate Kenny Chiu," says the briefing note.

"In 2021, the PRC FI activi‐ ties were almost certainly motivated by a perception that the Conservative Party of Canada was promoting a platform that was perceived to be anti-PRC."

It goes on to say "the tim‐ ing of these efforts to align with Conservative polling im‐ provements; the similarities in language with articles pub‐ lished by PRC state media; and the partnership agree‐ ments between these Cana‐ da-based outlets and PRC en‐ tities all suggest that these efforts were orchestrated or directed by the PRC."

The briefing note goes on to say the task force assigned to monitor foreign interfer‐ ence determined that these activities didn't affect the overall outcome of the elec‐ tion.

WATCH: Erin O'Toole says foreign interference may have cost him his job

The public inquiry into foreign interference has heard already from O'Toole and Chiu, who testified that their concerns about foreign interference were brushed aside when they raised them with Canadian officials.

Additional testimony and documents tabled at the in‐ quiry show that the body as‐ signed to monitor interfer‐ ence in elections detected potential foreign interference targeted at O'Toole and Chiu, but did not inform them of it at the time, even when the Conservative Party raised po‐ tential instances of foreign interference.

Last week, O'Toole told the commission he believes his party lost up to nine seats because of Chinese med‐ dling.

The briefing note said that CSIS provided 34 briefings to cabinet ministers and other senior officials on foreign in‐ terference, including acts of interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections.

"Until (foreign interfer‐ ence) is viewed as an existen‐ tial threat to Canadian democracy and governments forcefully and actively re‐ spond, these threats will per‐ sist," said the briefing note to PMO.

Reference to $250,000 transfer from Chinese offi‐ cials

While sections of the briefing note are redacted, it refers to a possible $250,000 transfer of funds from the PRC - first to a staff member for a 2019 federal election candidate and then to an On‐ tario MPP.

A separate CSIS document tabled last week shows that the spy agency believed "a group of known and sus‐ pected" PRC "threat actors" worked in loose coordination with one another to "covertly advance PRC interests through Canadian democra‐ tic institutions."

It cites some Canadian in‐ telligence assessments sug‐ gesting some threat actors received financial support from the PRC, including "at least two transfers of funds approximating $250,000 from PRC officials in Canada, possible for FI-related pur‐ poses."

The document alleges the money was transferred through multiple individuals to hide its origins.