Senator references ‘Trumpian denialism’ in foreign interference debate around China

Three central voices in the ongoing debate around foreign interference say the federal inquiry has not produced any evidence of specific operations, and are urging the inquiry to confirm that recent federal elections were free and fair.

In submissions to the Foreign Interference Commission, MP Han Dong, Senator Yuen Pau Woo and Markham Deputy Mayor Michael Chan cast doubt on recent media reporting — including from Global News — about the Chinese government’s alleged foreign interference operations in Canada.

Woo, an independent senator for British Columbia who has been publicly critical about allegations of Chinese interference in Canadian affairs, wrote that while the testimony at the inquiry “confirmed while there was (foreign interference) during both elections, none of it rose to the level that it affected the outcomes of those ballots — both at the riding level and for the country as a whole.”

“It is no defence to claim that expressing doubts about the results of just a handful of ridings does not rise to the level of Trumpian denialism and is therefore benign,” Woo wrote, referring to former U.S. president Donald Trump’s baseless claims the 2022 presidential election was stolen.

“If (foreign interference) affected the results of an election, Canadians need to know as such. But if (it) did not, Canadians need to be fully disabused of their suspicions. We may not be dealing with a ‘Big Lie,’ as in the United States, but small lies can add up very quickly and the ensuring loss of trust in the system is very difficult to restore.”

The “factual stage” of Justice Marie-Josée Hogue’s inquiry published written submissions, submitted by the various participants who testified, including politicians and political parties,