A majority of Canadians believe illegal foreign money is influencing federal elections, according to in-house research by Elections Canada. Blacklock's Reporter says the agency's study found that more than two-thirds of voters suspect such interference is commonplace, with concerns particularly high among immigrants and British Columbians.“Elections Canada wanted to gauge the general public’s opinion on various electoral issues,” the agency reported. The survey aimed to better understand Canadians' trust in electoral processes and other national institutions.When asked about the impact of foreign money on elections, 68% of respondents said they believed it influenced outcomes. The belief was especially strong among immigrants (75%) and British Columbians (74%). Nationwide, 30% said illegal foreign contributions had a "major impact" on Canadian politics.Similarly, 69% of Canadians agreed that foreign entities use social media and other means to sway political opinions, with 30% stating this influence had a "major impact," according to the Public Opinion Research Study On Electoral Matters Wave Four. The findings were based on questionnaires completed by 2,501 voters, with Elections Canada paying $81,622 for the study conducted by Léger Marketing Inc.The report, dated April 19, 2023, was released before Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault disclosed last week that Elections Canada does not automatically verify the legality of all campaign donations.“We do not have information that would allow us to vet whether all these contributors are either Canadian citizens or permanent residents,” Perrault testified at the Commission on Foreign Interference. “But by publishing the information, the logic of the system is to make it available in full daylight so if there are situations of unlawful contributions, they can be possibly identified by others.”Perrault admitted that illegal foreign funding is a possibility. Evidence has surfaced that Chinese Communist Party agents funneled $250,000 in illegal contributions to 11 “pro-China” politicians during the 2019 election. The candidates were not named.While Perrault acknowledged the potential for foreign interference, he said such actions would require many willing participants to go undetected: “I am not saying it’s impossible but it is difficult, and it’s difficult not to be seen doing that in any large kind of way.”Even before the revelations of Chinese interference, critics had raised concerns about the lax enforcement of laws prohibiting foreign contributions. Former Sen. Bob Runciman (Ont.) said in 2018, “We’re operating in the dark here. There are suspicions galore, but it’s challenging to prove them given the current state of affairs.”The Senate’s 2018 report, Controlling Foreign Influence In Canadian Elections, highlighted concerns that foreign governments and lobbyists were quietly financing advocacy groups in Canada to influence elections. Runciman pointed to allegations, particularly about U.S.-based organizations like the Tides Foundation of San Francisco, which allegedly funneled $1.5 million to anti-Conservative groups during the 2015 campaign. “We don’t know how much, if any, foreign money played a role,” said Runciman. “We simply don’t have the tools to measure it.”
A majority of Canadians believe illegal foreign money is influencing federal elections, according to in-house research by Elections Canada. Blacklock's Reporter says the agency's study found that more than two-thirds of voters suspect such interference is commonplace, with concerns particularly high among immigrants and British Columbians.“Elections Canada wanted to gauge the general public’s opinion on various electoral issues,” the agency reported. The survey aimed to better understand Canadians' trust in electoral processes and other national institutions.When asked about the impact of foreign money on elections, 68% of respondents said they believed it influenced outcomes. The belief was especially strong among immigrants (75%) and British Columbians (74%). Nationwide, 30% said illegal foreign contributions had a "major impact" on Canadian politics.Similarly, 69% of Canadians agreed that foreign entities use social media and other means to sway political opinions, with 30% stating this influence had a "major impact," according to the Public Opinion Research Study On Electoral Matters Wave Four. The findings were based on questionnaires completed by 2,501 voters, with Elections Canada paying $81,622 for the study conducted by Léger Marketing Inc.The report, dated April 19, 2023, was released before Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault disclosed last week that Elections Canada does not automatically verify the legality of all campaign donations.“We do not have information that would allow us to vet whether all these contributors are either Canadian citizens or permanent residents,” Perrault testified at the Commission on Foreign Interference. “But by publishing the information, the logic of the system is to make it available in full daylight so if there are situations of unlawful contributions, they can be possibly identified by others.”Perrault admitted that illegal foreign funding is a possibility. Evidence has surfaced that Chinese Communist Party agents funneled $250,000 in illegal contributions to 11 “pro-China” politicians during the 2019 election. The candidates were not named.While Perrault acknowledged the potential for foreign interference, he said such actions would require many willing participants to go undetected: “I am not saying it’s impossible but it is difficult, and it’s difficult not to be seen doing that in any large kind of way.”Even before the revelations of Chinese interference, critics had raised concerns about the lax enforcement of laws prohibiting foreign contributions. Former Sen. Bob Runciman (Ont.) said in 2018, “We’re operating in the dark here. There are suspicions galore, but it’s challenging to prove them given the current state of affairs.”The Senate’s 2018 report, Controlling Foreign Influence In Canadian Elections, highlighted concerns that foreign governments and lobbyists were quietly financing advocacy groups in Canada to influence elections. Runciman pointed to allegations, particularly about U.S.-based organizations like the Tides Foundation of San Francisco, which allegedly funneled $1.5 million to anti-Conservative groups during the 2015 campaign. “We don’t know how much, if any, foreign money played a role,” said Runciman. “We simply don’t have the tools to measure it.”
