Security officials report a Beijing-linked online operation focused on Carney
Popular WeChat account intended to influence Chinese communities in Canada, task force concluded
Federal security officials say they have found an online information operation linked to the Chinese government that focused on Liberal Leader Mark Carney.
The Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force says it traced the operation to Youli-Youmian, the most popular news account on the social media platform WeChat.
Intelligence reports link the Youli-Youmian account to the Chinese Communist Party's central political and legal affairs commission.
A background document released Monday by the Privy Council Office said narratives were spread on WeChat "amplifying" Carney's stance on the United States and targeting his experience and credentials.
Analysts saw "positive and negative narratives" about Carney in the operation, said Larisa Galadza, a director general at Global Affairs Canada, which houses a unit that monitors the online environment.
The security task force includes representatives of Global Affairs, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the RCMP and the Communications Security Establishment, Canada's cyberspy agency.
The task force concluded the information operation aimed at Carney was intended to influence Chinese communities in Canada and sought to shape perceptions about him.
Chong, Freeland targeted by same account
The Youli-Youmian account was also responsible for targeting Conservative politician Michael Chong two years ago and Liberal Chrystia Freeland earlier this year, the backgrounder said.
The task force reported large increases in what federal officials call "co-ordinated, inauthentic" online behaviour citing Carney on March 10 — before the federal election was called — and again during the writ period on March 25.
"When we talk about co-ordinated and inauthentic behaviour, we see things, for instance, like the same headline appearing across multiple media sources, foreign media sources, usually ... and being posted within minutes, if not seconds, of each other," Galadza said Monday at a media briefing.
"That's not a typical, organic kind of spread of information."
Chong said Monday that the campaign is evidence that the Chinese government wants the Liberals re-elected.
"They know that for a decade the Liberals have turned a blind eye to Beijing's interference in Canada's democracy. They know that the Liberals have stood by as Beijing interfered in our democracy, targeted and harassed our citizens and threatened Canada's interests at home and abroad," he said in a statement.
Chong pointed to examples of positive posts about Carney, including one that suggested the Liberal leader is being "tough" in his dealings with the U.S. administration.
Under a federal protocol introduced in 2019, a panel of senior bureaucrats has the power to warn the public if it decides one or more incidents threaten Canada's ability to hold a free and fair vote.
The panel includes the clerk of the Privy Council, the national security and intelligence adviser, the deputy attorney general and the deputy ministers of public safety and foreign affairs.
Known as the "panel of five," it receives regular updates from the security task force.
Laurie-Anne Kempton, assistant secretary to the cabinet for communications and consultations, told the briefing Monday that the panel concluded the WeChat activity about Carney was not affecting Canada's ability to hold a free and fair vote.
"This case is contained to one platform and has not spread further, nor is it affecting Canadians' abilities to make informed decisions about their vote," Kempton said. "It's unclear to us how many Canadians might have seen the narrative, so it was important for us to flag it, but it's difficult to gauge beyond that."
A Liberal party representative was briefed on the findings on April 6, Kempton added.
In addition, the task force will be raising its concerns with Tencent, the developer of WeChat.