Focus on foreign interference is casting a chill on research, academic tells inquiry

A Canadian academic testifying before the public inquiry on foreign interference Wednesday described the spotlight on foreign interference in universities as «modern day witch-hunting.»

The Chinese-Canadian university professor, granted anonymity by the inquiry, said Chinese-Canadian professors are under suspicion and new research security policies have make it harder to collaborate with Chinese scholars.

This year, she said, 17 of 20 Chinese researchers who were to come to a workshop in Canada couldn't get visas.

«Hunting for spies in universities is close to modern day witch-hunting,» she said, adding that Canadian universities are losing top talent and top performers feel unwelcome.

Teresa Woo-Paw, chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and a former provincial cabinet minister in Alberta, said reports of foreign interference in Canadian elections are also driving a rise in anti-Asian racism.

She said they're prompting Chinese Canadians to stop donating to political parties because they fear they will be seen as interfering. While some have aspirations to serve in public office, she said, many feel now is not the time.