The Conservative party refused to respond to questions regarding a former MP and Conservative candidate hopeful downplaying allegations of foreign interference in Canadian elections.
In an email titled “No Evidence of Foreign Interference: Richmond Rift Can Now Heal,” Conservative nomination candidate Wai Young said that she is pleased to see the foreign interference commission’s final report deliver a finding that there is little to no foreign interference in the country’s elections.
But the Hogue commission’s report did confirm that foreign governments interfered in the 2019 and 2021 general elections, only finding that the foreign meddling did not result in the validity of the election results being compromised.
“The report clearly outlines that while there were minor concerns, there was no real foreign interference impact,” Young wrote in her email.
Young, the former MP for Vancouver-––South, used the report’s findings to attack former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu, the former MP for Steveston-Richmond East and rival nomination candidate for the riding now renamed Richmond East Steveston.
She accused Chiu of stirring discord amongst the Richmond community and believing immigrants should be treated as “second class citizens.”
“I am so pleased that the findings of this Foreign Interference Report means that Richmond citizens, who have been living under the shadow of suspicion for years, after being cruelly divided by ongoing accusations made by Kenny Chiu, can now begin to heal and come together as equal citizens in Canada again,” wrote Young.
“All citizens have the right to vote for their choice, and this Hogue report clears up the cloud of suspicion hanging over Richmond. It is time for this division – caused by Mr. Chiu – to heal, so the community can be united once again.”
Chiu is a one-term Conservative MP who lost his Steveston-Richmond East seat in the 2021 general election to the Liberal’s Parm Bains.
Chiu has protested the results of that election, alleging the Chinese government conducted a foreign interference campaign in his riding to dissuade Chinese Canadians from voting for him. Chiu claims China targeted him because he supports the creation of a foreign agents registry.
The Hogue report references Chiu’s dilemma several times, confirming that Chinese-language media outlets and social media accounts on the Chinese app WeChat began spreading falsehoods about Chiu and his proposal for such a registry.
But the report says there is not enough evidence to conclude that, in the absence of foreign interference, the results in Steveston-Richmond East would have been different.
In a comment to True North, Young disputes the idea that Chiu was a victim of foreign interference in the 2021 election.
Young acknowledged that foreign governments have been attempting to meddle in Canadian elections, blaming the Liberal government for ignoring the issue and limiting the scope of the Hogue inquiry.
“I believe there were likely attempts made to sway some elections, however, how much of an impact was made, and whether it actually affected any outcomes is unclear as the inquiry didn’t find any hard evidence,” said Young.
“This just goes to show how absolutely inept the Liberal government has been, as they kept this information from the public for years, and also limited the scope of this inquiry.”
She blasted Chiu for maligning his opponents as communist stooges and threatening community members with federal investigations.
“For years, he has carelessly labeled and called any opponent of his – members or mouthpieces of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), without any evidence and with impunity. This is absolutely ridiculous and divides and hurts our community.”
Young went further, claiming that Chiu had threatened newcomer Canadians with investigations from Canada’s intelligence service.
“In addition, there have been incidents where he has threatened Canadian citizens, who he perceives as opponents of his – regardless of political affiliation – with CSIS investigations. In Canada, we do not threaten political opponents.”
True North reached out to the Conservative party for comment on Young’s email and allegations. No response was given.
In a comment to True North, Chiu vociferously denied Young’s allegations, expressing shock that a former colleague would make such accusations.
“People can hold me to account with whatever I say, but to just chop up accusations like that, I categorically refuse to accept. In fact, that’s exactly what perpetrated the disinformation attack that was levied against me and the Conservatives in 2021. I reject that categorically. I don’t spread disinformation.”
