'Nothing that anyone has reported' shows election results impacted by Chinese interference: U.S. Ambassador
CTV
The U.S. Ambassador to Canada says the question of whether or not foreign election interference is happening is less important than whether it's been successful, and he hasn't seen any proof that alleged interference attempts by China in Canada's elections have managed to affect the results.
The U.S. Ambassador to Canada says the question of whether or not foreign election interference is happening is less important than whether it’s been successful, and he hasn’t seen any proof that alleged interference attempts by China in Canada’s elections have managed to affect the results.
David Cohen told CTV’s Question Period host Vassy Kapelos in an interview airing Sunday, his many years of political experience have led to his developing a “certain level of skepticism and thick skin,” and an “assumption” that both China and Russia have been interfering in the elections of several countries for years.
“I almost think it's not even worth asking the question about whether there's interference,” he said. “I think the better question is: what is the interference targeting? Has it had any impact? Has it had any effect?
“I've seen nothing that anyone's reported or that anyone has said that’s been able to disclose any impact from any alleged interference by the Chinese in the last couple of Canadian elections,” he said.
Recent reports of alleged Chinese interference in Canada’s last two federal elections have led to mounting pressure from the opposition for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to call a public inquiry to investigate the issue.
Trudeau announced this week he’s appointed a special rapporteur — former Governor General David Johnston — to assess foreign interference and the integrity of Canada’s democracy, plus make a recommendation on whether to hold an inquiry.
Cohen said he wouldn’t weigh into whether there should be a rapporteur, or an inquiry, or any other “mechanism” to evaluate foreign interference attempts, but that it’s important the issue is being taken seriously.
