Spy agency changed reports on MP
Intelligence discussed suspected Chinese-state interference in Don Valley Liberal nomination
Intelligence reports documenting suspected Chinese-state interference in a Liberal nomination contest were twice recalled by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, once following a meeting that included Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Documents introduced at the public inquiry into foreign interference show a report suggesting the interference by Chinese state proxies in the 2019 Don Valley North Liberal nomination race was circulated to government officials overseeing the integrity of the 2019 election, but recalled later that month.
Then, after details similar to those in the report were leaked to the media beginning in 2022 and into 2023, there was a meeting with Trudeau and government security officials to discuss all of the intelligence about Don Valley North candidate Han Dong, including Dong’s contacts with the Chinese consulate in Toronto.
Changes to an intelligence assessment and a recall of information were also connected to that meeting.
Trudeau has declined to comment on what’s been heard at the inquiry in advance of his appearance before it next week.
However, a government official has said no one from the Prime Minister’s Office requested changes to any intelligence reports.
Senior government security officials who have testified before the Hogue commission have stressed repeatedly that intelligence reports — including those that have been put before the commission — ought to be taken with a grain of salt because they reflect information gathered at a moment in time, don’t always provide a complete picture of an issue and can be inconclusive.
Still, among the reasons that led to a public inquiry into allegations of foreign interference in Canada’s last two elections are concerns about the sharing of intelligence information, what gets done with that information and whether politicians have been inclined to downplay or ignore information about potentially illegal acts that may have benefited them.
The fact that intelligence reports about a controversy involving Dong were changed at least twice points to the challenges of information flow during and around election campaigns.
That there were changes made to the intelligence assessment of Dong’s riding after the meeting with Trudeau surfaced in summaries of interviews with CSIS intelligence analysts tabled at the commission. Their identities were withheld for national security reasons.
In the summary, one witness makes reference to Trudeau’s national security and intelligence adviser requesting a recall. “Witness 2 noted that it was not common for the (national security and intelligence adviser) to request the recall of a report,” the summary states.
Another notes that changes were made to the assessment “based on that meeting and were for internal CSIS purposes only.”
A senior government official, speaking on background-only basis, said the PMO did not request any correction or ask for a recall of the CSIS assessment of Don Valley North. They said PMO officials pointed out to CSIS officials that the assessment contained a factual error that was “demonstrably incorrect.”
Asked earlier in the week about the 2019 recall, CSIS director David Vigneault said he would not have done it for “nefarious” reasons, or because the document was deemed too sensitive, although he said he didn’t remember why he had pulled the information back.
Documents tabled at the commission revealed that intelligence pointed to several potentially problematic elements of the Liberal nomination race in Don Valley North, including: the use of buses to bring international Chinese students to vote specifically for Dong; a suggestion those students were being threatened by people affiliated with China that they would face repercussions if they didn’t; and that people known to be close to China were receiving funds that could have been destined for foreign interference purposes.
Liberal party officials were given a top-secret security briefing on Sept. 28, 2019 — during the election campaign — about the allegations involving Dong.
Questions about that briefing, and what decisions may or may not have been taken as a result, were not put publicly to Liberal party campaign director Azam Ishmael when he testified at the commission earlier in the week.
But Liberal campaign staff told a House of Commons committee in April 2023 there was no “actionable item” in the briefing.
The party has said it is not worried about foreign influence in that nomination campaign.
Dong has denied all the allegations. He left the Liberal caucus to sit as an Independent in 2023 after media reports based on leaked CSIS intelligence about him were published.
During his appearance at the commission, Dong acknowledged he didn’t tell it earlier about the busload of students, saying he had been reminded about it by his wife. He said he didn’t know who paid for the bus, but that it was common for buses to be used to get voters out.
Dong also said he has never personally seen any evidence of Chinese state interference.