David Morrison, deputy minister of foreign affairs, appears as a witnesses a House of Commons committee on Feb. 3, 2025 examining foreign interference in the most recent federal election（Screen Shot from ParlVU).
NTDTV Staff
Canada’s deputy foreign affairs says Ottawa is directly confronting Beijing over what it considers foreign interference tied to China’s efforts to suppress dissidents abroad, including within Canada.
Appearing before a House of Commons committee on Feb. 3 examining foreign interference in the most recent federal election, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs David Morrison was questioned about the objectives pursued by the Chinese regime in Canada. Security agencies and a public inquiry have identified China as the leading source of foreign interference in the country, with incidents linked to Beijing flagged by the government during the 2025 election.
Morrison told MPs that China’s activities in Canada are aimed at suppressing what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) refers to as the “five poisons”: Taiwan independence, the Falun Gong meditation group, the Uyghur ethno-religious minority in Xinjiang, Tibetan independence, and the pro-democracy movement.
According to Morrison, pursuing these objectives beyond China’s borders constitutes foreign interference. He said he has repeatedly raised this issue directly with Chinese officials.
“I’ve told them repeatedly, personally, that we have a poison as well, and that is foreign interference that takes place on our territory,” Morrison said. “It’s our turf, we get to call the shots. So that’s what the clash is.”
The deputy minister said the CCP targets these groups in an effort to preserve its hold on power and China’s territorial integrity. However, he described efforts to suppress them abroad as “overreach.”
“That’s where we clash: on what is foreign interference,” Morrison said.
China’s sensitivity around Taiwan resurfaced in Canada earlier this year when two Liberal MPs cut short a visit to the island after being advised by Ottawa ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trip to China. MPs Helena Jaczek and Marie-France Lalonde said returning early was necessary to “avoid confusion” about Canada’s foreign policy.
Taiwan has operated as a self-governing entity since 1949, when Chinese Nationalists fled to the island following the CCP’s takeover of mainland China. While under constant threat of annexation, Taiwan is recognized by only a small number of countries. Canada switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1970.
Carney’s January visit to China—the first by a Canadian prime minister since 2017—resulted in the signing of several agreements and Ottawa declaring a “new strategic partnership” with Beijing. Carney also told Chinese Premier Li Qiang that recent progress in bilateral ties “sets us up well for the new world order.”
The language drew criticism from Conservatives, who raised concerns during the committee hearing. Tory MP Grant Jackson asked how the government reconciles describing China as a major security threat while simultaneously deepening cooperation.
“What changes in terms of your actions with the PRC?” Jackson asked, noting that Carney had labelled China the “biggest security threat” during the 2025 election campaign.
Nathalie Drouin, deputy clerk of the Privy Council and the prime minister’s national security and intelligence adviser, responded by pointing to Carney’s recent remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos. She said Canada must adapt to shifting global realities.
“The world is changing, and so we need to adjust to this new world,” Drouin said, adding that closer ties in specific sectors do not mean Canada is “abdicating” its national security responsibilities.
Morrison and Drouin both serve on the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol panel, which assesses intelligence during election campaigns and determines whether the public should be warned of threats to electoral integrity. The panel has never issued a public warning since it was created in 2019.
Drouin told MPs there is always a “baseline” level of foreign interference detected by intelligence agencies, but said there was no “spike” during the last election.
“Canadians can and should have full confidence that their elections were secure and that their voices were heard,” she said.
Conservative MP Michael Cooper challenged that assessment, citing Beijing-linked interference targeting Conservative candidate Joe Tay, a democracy advocate from Hong Kong. Tay was the subject of an online intimidation campaign after Hong Kong authorities announced a bounty for his arrest in December 2024.
“I think most Canadians would be absolutely shocked that this sort of thing would be happening in Canada,” Cooper said. “It’s quite astounding.”
Morrison said he was not aware of intelligence directly linking the Toronto Chinese consulate to the interference Tay experienced, but confirmed that Global Affairs Canada lodged a formal diplomatic protest with China’s embassy over the online operation.
Cooper rejected the response, saying he feared the role of Chinese diplomats was being minimized amid Ottawa’s efforts to reset relations with Beijing.