{"id":291558,"date":"2025-04-27T10:50:14","date_gmt":"2025-04-27T10:50:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/27\/with-a-bounty-on-his-head-a-critic-of-china-runs-in-canadas-election\/"},"modified":"2025-04-27T10:50:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-27T10:50:14","slug":"with-a-bounty-on-his-head-a-critic-of-china-runs-in-canadas-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/27\/with-a-bounty-on-his-head-a-critic-of-china-runs-in-canadas-election\/","title":{"rendered":"With a Bounty on His Head, a Critic of China Runs in Canada\u2019s Election"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/04\/27\/multimedia\/27int-canada-foreign-interference-czlq\/27int-canada-foreign-interference-czlq-facebookJumbo.jpg?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"With a Bounty on His Head, a Critic of China Runs in Canada\u2019s Election\" title=\"With a Bounty on His Head, a Critic of China Runs in Canada\u2019s Election\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Joe Tay, an actor and journalist running in Monday\u2019s federal election in Canada, has not ventured outside to knock on constituents\u2019 doors. He has not buttonholed voters at the local strip mall. Nor has he been seen schmoozing at public gatherings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Fearing for his safety, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.joetay.ca\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Mr. Tay<\/a> \u2014 a critic of the Chinese government, which has placed a bounty on Mr. Tay and offered $130,000 for information leading to his arrest, and who is running in a key electoral district in Toronto \u2014 has waged perhaps the quietest campaign of any candidate competing in the election.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">And days before the vote, Mr. Tay\u2019s ability to campaign shrank even further as Canadian government officials revealed that he had been the subject of coordinated online attacks on Chinese-language sites linked to the Chinese government. For the past four years, Mr. Tay has denounced China\u2019s tightening grip on Hong Kong and the disappearance there of democratic freedoms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The attacks sought to discredit Mr. Tay, a Conservative, portraying him as a criminal, and to suppress information about his candidacy, Canadian officials said at a news conference this past week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThere is a narrative being amplified by the P.R.C. government,\u201d Vanessa Lloyd, the head of Canada\u2019s intelligence agency, said, referring to the People\u2019s Republic of China.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The attacks on Mr. Tay have sought to influence the outcome of the race in Don Valley North, a district with a large Chinese diaspora in Toronto, in what is the most vote-rich <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/24\/world\/canada\/canada-election-toronto.html\" title=\"\">region<\/a> in Canada.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The district was also the focus of Chinese government interference in <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/12\/02\/world\/americas\/canada-elections-china.html?searchResultPosition=11\" title=\"\">previous elections<\/a>, and revelations about it raised questions about the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/28\/world\/canada\/canada-elections-foreign-interference-inquiry.html?searchResultPosition=3\" title=\"\">robustness of Canada\u2019s political system<\/a> and the willingness of its main <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/07\/21\/world\/americas\/canada-democracy-foreign-interference.html?searchResultPosition=4\" title=\"\">political parties<\/a> to combat foreign interference.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A yearlong federal inquiry into foreign meddling in Canada\u2019s political system found that a handful of countries \u2014 led by China and India \u2014 tried to advance their interests in Canada by backing or opposing candidates in the two previous general elections, in 2021 and 2019.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The candidates ran in diaspora-rich districts in Toronto and in Vancouver, British Columbia, where foreign governments have wielded influence through community associations, business leaders and other proxies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Most of the overhauls endorsed in the past year to combat foreign interference have yet to be put in place for the current election, though some changes, including weekly intelligence briefings like the one detailing the efforts against Mr. Tay, have raised voters\u2019 awareness of foreign nations\u2019 attempts to shift public opinion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Critics say that the main political parties, the Liberals and Conservatives, have yet to show full commitment to stop foreign interference at the expense of furthering political interests.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In the past two elections, the Chinese government <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/07\/15\/world\/americas\/canada-china-election-interference.html\" title=\"\">sought to undermine<\/a> candidates critical of its human rights record and its policies in Hong Kong, including the imposition of a national security law in 2020. Most of China\u2019s targets were members of the Conservative Party, which has adopted a tough line toward Beijing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At the same time, the Chinese government or its proxies backed candidates \u2014 mostly Liberals \u2014 who took a softer stance toward Beijing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In Don Valley North, the Chinese government in 2019 \u201cactively supported\u201d a preferred candidate, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/12\/02\/world\/americas\/canada-elections-china.html\" title=\"\">Han Dong<\/a>, in a Liberal Party nomination race, in what the Canadian government identified as a major instance of suspected foreign interference, according to the federal inquiry\u2019s final report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">According to another <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/nsicop-cpsnr.ca\/reports\/rp-2024-06-03\/02-en.html?wbdisable=true\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">report<\/a>, by a special parliamentary committee, Canadian intelligence said that the Chinese government \u201chad a significant impact in getting\u201d Mr. Han nominated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/02\/world\/canada\/canada-election-china-han-dong.html?searchResultPosition=1\" title=\"\">Buses<\/a> transported 175 to 200 foreign students from China to vote, and the Chinese Consulate directed them to vote for Mr. Dong \u201cif they want to maintain their student visas,\u201d according to the report. Mr. Dong went on to serve two terms in Parliament.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Dong, who left the Liberal Party, recently announced that he would not run for re-election as an independent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Despite the findings, Ted Lojko, who managed Mr. Dong\u2019s campaigns in the two previous elections, said there had been \u201cabsolutely\u201d no foreign interference.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Lojko is now managing the campaign of the Liberal candidate hoping to succeed Mr. Han: <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/maggiechi.liberal.ca\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Maggie Chi<\/a>, who has worked for city councilors in Toronto and ran unsuccessfully for positions at the municipal and provincial levels in the past.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cMaggie is as Canadian as apple pie,\u201d Mr. Lojko said, adding that Ms. Chi immigrated to Canada from China as a child. \u201cShe\u2019s not really interested in what\u2019s happening on an international basis in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Lojko, who declined to make Ms. Chi available for an interview, said that he did not \u201cmake much\u201d of the government\u2019s revelations that Ms. Chi\u2019s rival, Mr. Tay, had been the target of online attacks coordinated by the Chinese government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A Canadian government election watchdog described the attacks on Mr. Tay as a \u201c<a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/privy-council\/news\/2025\/04\/transnational-repression-operation.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">transnational repression operation<\/a>\u201d carried out by China in Canada. The watchdog said that \u201ca series of deliberate and persistent activity across multiple platforms,\u201d including WeChat, TikTok and Facebook, drew attention to the bounty on Mr. Tay and denigrated his competence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-8\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThey are consistent with the C.C.P. tradecraft, similar to the other threats that have been made against me throughout this campaign,\u201d Mr. Tay said in a statement, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. Mr. Tay declined an interview request.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Tay, who has worked as an actor in Hong Kong, in 2021 established <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCEdr44jXVYzR54-j8cl__LQ\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">HongKongerStation<\/a>, a YouTube channel focusing on the Chinese government\u2019s repression in Hong Kong. Though the Conservative Party ultimately appointed Mr. Tay to run in Don Valley North, he first campaigned in 2023 to become the party\u2019s candidate in a district in Markham, just north of Toronto.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In December, the police in Hong Kong issued arrest warrants for Mr. Tay and five other overseas activists, accusing them of violating Hong Kong\u2019s national security law.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-9\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThat is probably one of the most overt and explicit ways that China tries to interfere in Western democracies like Canada,\u201d said Marcus Kolga, the founder of <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/disinfowatch.org\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">DisinfoWatch<\/a>, a Canadian organization that tracks foreign interference. \u201cI suspect that that bounty was placed on him to try and derail his campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At least one of Mr. Tay\u2019s political rivals tried to use the bounty against him. In a comment to reporters, Paul Chiang \u2014 the Liberal incumbent in the district where Mr. Tay had been campaigning before being appointed as the candidate in Don Valley North \u2014 suggested that anyone could take Mr. Tay to the Chinese Consulate in Toronto and collect the bounty for his arrest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Prime Minister Mark Carney defended Mr. Chiang even as he described his comment as \u201cdeeply offensive.\u201d But Mr. Chiang was eventually forced to step down after the police said they were investigating whether his comment broke the law.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/338canada.com\/polls.htm\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Polls<\/a> showed the Conservative Party ahead in Don Valley North early this year, before most Canadians began turning to Mr. Carney as the most capable of dealing with President Trump and his threats against Canada. Now, like in much of the rest of the country, the Liberals are leading in Don Valley North.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/nailasaeed.ca\/naila-saeed\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Naila Saeed<\/a>, who is running in Don Valley North as the candidate of the New Democratic Party, said foreign meddling in another election in the district would undermine voters\u2019 faith in elections.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-10\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt\u2019s a very serious concern and threat to our democracy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ms. Saeed and others said that neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives had wanted to draw much attention to foreign interference during this campaign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">While the Chinese government\u2019s meddling in Canada had sought to back Liberal candidates, the Indian government is believed to have supported Conservative candidates in an effort to sideline supporters of Sikh autonomy in India.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt\u2019s see no evil,\u201d Cheuk Kwan, a chair of the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tadc.ca\/about\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Toronto Association for Democracy in China<\/a>, said of the two main parties. \u201cThey\u2019re not serious at all about foreign interference.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/27\/world\/americas\/canada-election-china-joe-tay.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Joe Tay, an actor and journalist running in Monday\u2019s federal election in Canada, has not ventured outside to knock on constituents\u2019 doors. He has not buttonholed voters at the local strip mall. Nor has he been seen schmoozing at public gatherings. Fearing for his safety, Mr. Tay \u2014 a critic of the Chinese government, which [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":291559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/04\/27\/multimedia\/27int-canada-foreign-interference-czlq\/27int-canada-foreign-interference-czlq-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[32361,740,6379,168,139541,165075,33766,143093,50,67,177691,3096,165074,137131,5372,187586],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291558"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=291558"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":291560,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291558\/revisions\/291560"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/291559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=291558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=291558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=291558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}