TL;DR:
- CSIS documented that Chinese-language media in Canada are systematically controlled and used for election interference targeting the Conservative Party.
- In January 2025, Paul Chiang threatened Conservative candidate Joe Tay at a Chinese-language media event.
- In January 2026, Prime Minister Carney signed an agreement facilitating Chinese journalist access to the very media apparatus CSIS documented as targeting Conservatives and that enabled the threats against Tay.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney’s January agreement to facilitate Chinese journalist access to Canada represents one of the most reckless national security decisions in recent Canadian history. The deal commits Canada to “provide mutual support and convenience for media to work in each other’s countries” through a formal agreement with China Media Group, the Communist Party’s state propaganda apparatus.
Canada is an open society. That is our strength—and, increasingly, our vulnerability.
In the current threat environment—where Canadian police have warned a federal candidate it was unsafe to campaign, where Chinese-language ecosystems have been tied to intimidation campaigns, and where Canadian intelligence reporting describes Chinese media as a central tool in Beijing’s election interference—the proposal is not merely naïve. By enlarging the very channels through which coercion, censorship, and Beijing’s vote-fixing schemes already operate, it may be recklessly dangerous.
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As Prime Minister, Carney has access to classified intelligence including a June 2019 NSICOP report and a 2022 CSIS assessment that The Bureau has obtained. The Bureau has also reported on these documents during Justin Trudeau’s tenure, in reports that were not contested, and in some cases, filed as exhibits in the Hogue Inquiry into Chinese election interference.
The most dramatic illustration of the danger sits in recent parliamentary testimony and documented threats against Conservative candidate Joseph Tay. In December 2024, Hong Kong police issued a $184,000 bounty for Tay, a pro-democracy activist and Canadian citizen, under charges of “inciting secession” and “colluding with foreign forces.” What happened next should have stopped Carney’s China “reset” deal—particularly the state-level media agreements—dead in its tracks.
In January 2025, Liberal MP Paul Chiang stood before a Chinese-language media news conference and told attendees they could claim the bounty “if you bring him to Toronto’s Chinese consulate.” Chiang also warned that Tay’s election to Parliament would cause “great controversy” for Canada. When confronted, Chiang claimed he was joking and issued a perfunctory apology.
In January 2025, Liberal MP Paul Chiang stood before a Chinese-language media news conference and told attendees they could claim the bounty “if you bring him to Toronto’s Chinese consulate.” Chiang also warned that Tay’s election to Parliament would cause “great controversy” for Canada. When confronted, Chiang claimed he was joking and issued a perfunctory apology.
Tay rejected it, stating publicly: “Threats like these are the tradecraft of the Chinese Communist Party to interfere in Canada. They are not just aimed at me; they are intended to send a chilling signal to the entire community to force compliance with Beijing’s political goals. This situation has left me fearing for my safety.”
Carney’s response was to defend Chiang. The Prime Minister called the incident a “teachable moment,” praised Chiang’s “integrity,” and refused to remove him as the Liberal candidate in Markham-Unionville. Only after the RCMP announced it was reviewing the matter—and international Hong Kong diaspora groups mounted a pressure campaign—did Chiang resign.
But Chiang’s comments at a Chinese-language media event were not an isolated incident.
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Did Mark Carney prioritize trade deals over the safety of diaspora communities and the integrity of Canadian elections? Or is his judgment so catastrophically flawed that he cannot be trusted to protect Canadian sovereignty?
What is certain is that Carney signed an agreement facilitating access for Chinese “media” operatives that Canadian intelligence has explicitly documented as threats to Canadian democracy and Canadian lives.
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