Beijing targets Canadian political aides with an aim to covertly influence their bosses by controlling event schedules, shaping talking points, and handling requests from community groups, according to newly released documents.
“The PRC [People’s Republic of China] also targets political staffers,” said a Sept. 8, 2021, intelligence assessment from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). The assessment was recently released by the Foreign Interference Inquiry, which has been investigating allegations of Beijing’s interference in Canada’s elections and targeting of parliamentarians.
“Staffers control schedules and often act as ‘gatekeepers’ for their employers; these staff are thereby placed in positions where they can clandestinely and deceptively control and influence the activities of elected and appointed officials in ways that support PRC or CCP [Chinese Communist Party] interests,” said the report, which was first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter….