Liberal candidate calls China a 'like-minded' ally as Carney says it is biggest threat

MISSISSAUGA, ONT. — Days after Liberal Leader Mark Carney named China as Canada’s biggest security threat, a video published by a Chinese-language media outlet shows one of his Liberal candidates calling China one of its “like-minded allies.” In the video posted on Sunday, Majid Jowhari, the Liberal incumbent in the Greater Toronto Area riding of Richmond Hill South, also argued that Canada needs to deepen its trade ties with China amid the trade war with the United States. His comments are notable because they appear to contrast starkly with Carney’s view on China expressed during the English-language debate last week. “I think the biggest security threat to Canada is China,” Carney said when asked to name the most significant threat facing the country. Jowhari’s was first elected in 2015 in Richmond Hill, a riding where 32.6 per cent of residents are of Chinese descent, according to 2021 census data . Conservative candidate and corporate lawyer Vincent Ho is challenging him for the seat. In the roughly two-minute video, Jowhari outlines his role as co-chair of Parliament’s Canada-China legislative association and calls himself an advocate for the local Chinese-Canadian community. “In the time of growing uncertainty and Trump’s tariffs threatening our economy and our sovereignty, it’s more important (than) ever to protect and strengthen partnership with key trading partners such as Europe and China,” Jowhari says in the video, published on Sunday on the North American Canadian Voice Cultural Media’s website.  Jowhari also discusses his work on Parliament Hill advocating against anti-Asian racism and says he has visited China “many times.” “The blend of tradition and innovation is something that I admire. Deepening our partnership with like-minded allies such as China present opportunities for shared prosperity and supports Canadians’ role as a constructive and engaged player in the global economy.” He ends the video by saying the “Chinese community needs a strong voice to fight for them.” “The Liberal party needs a voice to help strengthen the partnership between Canada, Chinese-Canadians and China. I am Majid Jowhari and I can be that voice. Please vote for Majid Jowhari on April 28. Thank you.” Jowhari’s campaign has not yet responded to a request for comment about his statement that China is among Canada’s “like-minded allies.” National Post has also sought comment from the Liberal party campaign, as well as clarity from Jowhari’s campaign about when the video was filmed. The outlet that published his video describes itself as being “rooted” in Toronto and says it uses its website and WeChat to publish “stories of Chinese people living abroad.”  For years, Canadian national security agencies have considered China to be the most serious and sophisticated threat actor against Canada. Twice already this campaign, the federal election monitoring task force has warned that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was likely behind influence campaigns in Canada. On Monday, members of the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) task force said the PRC appeared to be behind a transnational repression operation to undermine Joe Tay, a Toronto-area Conservative candidate and vocal critic of the Chinese regime. SITE members said they suspected the PRC was pushing a mock “wanted” poster of Tay online and boosting disparaging stories about the Hong Kong democracy activist while suppressing searches of his name on China-based social media platforms. Two weeks earlier, the electoral interference watchdog said the PRC was behind an information manipulation campaign on China’s largest social media network WeChat to influence opinion of Carney. The Liberals have also come under fire for their candidates’ perceived proximity to individuals suspected of ties with the Chinese government. Last week, National Post reported that a Montreal-area Liberal candidate invited the head of two organizations suspected by the RCMP of operating a secret Chinese police station to a campaign event. The previous week, this newspaper reported on new evidence of friendly ties between the Chinese government and another Toronto-area Liberal candidate who attended a massive military parade and show of martial strength in Beijing a decade ago. Peter Yuen, the Liberal candidate in Markham—Unionville, attended the event on the invitation of a Chinese agency dedicated to influencing ethnic Chinese in other countries. Yuen replaced former Liberal incumbent Paul Chiang after he stepped aside following the RCMP confirming it was looking into comments that Chiang had previously made to Chinese media about Tay, the Conservatives’ candidate who first vied for the nomination in his riding. Chiang had told the crowd they could turn Tay over to Chinese authorities to cash in on a HK$1 million bounty (CAN$184,000) placed on him. Before he stepped aside, Chiang apologized.  In a report published in January , Foreign Interference inquiry head Marie-Josée Hogue said the People’s Republic of China was the “main perpetrator” of clandestine and illegal influence operations in the country. “The PRC uses a range of tools, including Canada-based proxies. These tools include the monitoring of diaspora communities and transnational repression; activities meant to impact the outcome of Canadian democratic processes (including providing financial support to preferred candidates); and clandestinely shaping narratives in support of PRC strategic interests,” read the report. The Chinese government also exerts significant control on the Chinese-language traditional and social media platforms and uses the influence to promote “pro-PRC narratives, spread disinformation, and suppress anti-China content,” Hogue noted. More recently, China’s ambassador to China suggested that China and Canada could partner to push back against U.S. Donald Trump’s tariffs. Chinese Ambassador Wang Di told The Canadian Press that “China is Canada’s opportunity, not Canada’s threat.” National Post, with additional reporting from The Canadian Press staylor@postmedia.com cnardi@postmedia.com

• Liberal candidate invited head of suspected secret Chinese police station to campaign event
• China linked to fake 'wanted' poster, repression efforts against Conservative candidate

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