China linked to propaganda campaign targeting Trudeau, Poilievre, says Global Affairs

The Chinese government likely was behind a "spamouflage" disinformation campaign targeting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and other MPs in August and September, says Global Affairs Canada.

The department's Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), which was set up to monitor foreign state-sponsored disinformation efforts, said the campaign was "connected to the People's Republic of China" and was meant to curb criticism of the communist regime. 

According to a report released Monday morning, the propaganda campaign began in August and targeted dozens of MPs from across the political spectrum.

A "spamouflage" campaign is one which uses a network of new or hijacked social media accounts to post propaganda messages across various platforms, such as Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Medium, Reddit, TikTok and LinkedIn.

Global Affairs Canada said the bot network picked up steam over the September long weekend, leaving thousands of comments in English and French on the social media accounts of MPs.

The posts claimed a critic of the Chinese Communist Party in Canada had accused the various MPs of criminal and ethical violations, said Global Affairs Canada.

The Chinese campaign also used what were likely "deepfake" manipulated videos, the department said.

The GAC report says the goal of the the operation was twofold.

"First, it likely seeks to discredit and denigrate the targeted MPs through seemingly organic posts, alleging impropriety, by posting waves of social media posts and videos that call into question the political and ethical standards of the MPs, using a popular Chinese-speaking figure in Canada," said the report.

"Second, it likely seeks to silence criticism of the CCP by getting MPs to distance themselves from the critic and discouraging wider online communities from engaging with them."

Global Affairs Canada said the government will continue to monitor the situation and respond when necessary and appropriate, "including through public disclosure and diplomatic engagement."

It also said MPs have been advised on how to protect themselves from foreign interference.

"It has also been made clear to them that nothing observed in this activity represents a threat to their safety, or that of their family," Global Affairs said in a statement Monday.

The government said the same bot networks were engaged in spreading disinformation claiming that the Hawaiian wildfires were caused by a secret U.S. military "weather weapon," and have been connected to disinformation about Japan's decision in August 2023 to release millions of tons of treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant.