Canada-China Brief: Ottawa introduces TikTok ban, Trudeau defends MP's loyalty to Canada & more

This week's edition of the Canada-China Brief covers Ottawa's?ban of TikTok?from government devices, Prime Minister Trudeau's defence of a fellow Liberal MP over?election interference allegations, and more.??

First, here's the latest from IPD:

IPD's?Roundup

Video — Canada and China: A Fifty Year Journey

Watch and listen to IPD Advisor Susan Gregson and Senior?Fellow Jeremy Paltiel in conversation with?B. Michael Frolic, Professor Emeritus of Politics at York University, on his new book chronicling the history of Sino-Canadian relations in an event presented by the York Centre for Asian Research and the University of Toronto Press.

Andrew Latham in The Hill: The 21st Century’s Gramsci Problem

Senior Fellow Andrew Latham addresses the decline of the post-Cold War international order, suggesting "the rise of China, deglobalization, regionalization and the terminal decline of the recently re-branded 'rules-based international order'?have effectively consigned that order to the dustbin of history."

Jocelyn Coulon pour Le Devoir: Comment redessiner l’ordre mondial ?

Dans un article pour Le Devoir, Jocelyn Coulon s’interroge sur l’évolution de l’ordre international, évoquant l’érosion de certaines règles et normes internationales ainsi que l’émergence de nouveaux acteurs remettant en cause la primauté de l’Occident, plus particulièrement des Etats-Unis, sur la scène internationale.

Opportunity: Research & Communications Assistant (East Asia)

IPD is hiring a Research & Communications Assistant based in Canada to remotely support the Institute's work on East Asia for a duration of four?months with the possibility of an extension. Review the application details and apply by March 10th with an email addressed to?[email protected].

Top Stories

Ottawa bans social media giant TikTok from government devices

This week the federal government issued a prohibition on TikTok, the Chinese social media network, that will see the app deleted from government devices.

Wider ban not ruled out?—?In a statement from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, President Mona Fortier?outlined?the new measures:

• In addition to its removal from devices and the blocking of its installation starting February 28, the statement read that "following a review of TikTok, the Chief Information Officer of Canada determined that it presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security."
• It added that the new steps were a "precaution" in light of "the legal regime that governs the information collected from mobile devices... while the risks of using this application are clear, we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised.”
• The move follows the launch of a joint?investigation?by?the federal?Office of the Privacy Commissioner and several provincial counterparts?to "examine whether the organization’s practices are in compliance with Canadian privacy legislation" and "transparency obligations."
• After a similar government ban in the U.S. last year, Ottawa follows a?decision?from the?European Commission?last week also banning the app from employee devices, though a spokesperson described the action as temporary pending "constant review and possible reassessments."
• Questioned on the potential of a nationwide ban of the app, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau?stated?that "this may be a first step, it may be the only step we need to take, but every step of the way we're going to be making sure we're keeping Canadians safe."

'Overtly political' —?Both TikTok and cybersecurity experts have pointed out the selectiveness of the decision:

• TikTok spokesperson Danielle Morgan?declared?the ban "curious" as Ottawa had done so "without citing any specific security concern or contacting us with questions – only after similar bans were introduced in the EU and the U.S."
• Vass Bednar, Executive Director of McMaster University's?Public Policy in Digital Society program,?deemed?it?"jumping on a bit of a bandwagon," noting "we can't ignore the broader geopolitical context" and characterizing the decision as "overtly political."
• Bednar separately?argued?that "hyper-politicizing TikTok, while ignoring similar concerns with other apps, is also disingenuous and comes off as lazy mimicry. Perhaps the government is reluctant to impose new regulatory regimes on U.S.-owned social media companies."
• A 2021?investigation?from the University of Toronto's?Citizen Lab concluded that the app did not demonstrate?"strong deviations of privacy, security and censorship practices when compared to TikTok’s competitors, like Facebook."

Parliamentarians react —?Parties across the?House of Commons have moved to signal compliance with the new directive as Beijing has responded:

• Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre?suspended?his account with his caucus set to follow as party spokesperson Sebastian Skamski vowed that the Tories "will work to see that this ban is extended to include parliamentary devices."
• Both the Bloc Quebecois and the New Democrats have promised similar moves?as NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh stated that he has "no concern at all about taking a step back from a social media platform when there are serious concerns around security, data and privacy."
• NDP MP Matthew Green, however,?described?developments as?a "red scare" as?"the only distinction that’s being made is a political one based on its connection with the Chinese government" as "other platforms?are equally hostile, and they’re equally being used by hostile foreign actors."
• Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning?commented?on the American government ban set to go into motion within 30 days, stating?that "the U.S. has been over-stretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress foreign companies."

What commentators think?—?Both former intelligence officials and academics underlined China as a key government motivation:

• Anatoliy Gruzd, Co-Director of Toronto Metropolitan University's Social Media Lab,?acknowledged?that it was TikTok's ownership by Chinese parent Bytedance that has brought about Ottawa's "extra kind of attention" towards the app.
• Lynette Ong, a professor at the University of Toronto, doubted worries about data ownership on TikTok are as important as on other apps like WeChat or Alipay, which might contain financial and personal information that are more deserving of regulatory focus,?adding "that is not to say that Chinese firms are not capable of espionage or posing a threat to our national security."
• Former CSIS Director Richard Fadden?argued?that "the more information that a foreign state, Chinese or other, have on you, it provides them opportunities for blackmail, for coercion, for influencing."
• Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Information Consumption Alliance — a Chinese telecom association —?called?the ban "a discriminatory policy, and there has been no evidence suggesting that TikTok has caused damage to users' privacy and interests."

Trudeau defends Liberal MP?over Chinese election interference allegations

The PM in recent weeks has been on the defence over allegations that the?Canadian Security Intelligence Service recommended that the Liberal Party revoke the candidacy of now-MP Han Dong in the 2019 federal elections over intelligence that the Chinese Consulate in Toronto looked favourably upon him.

The allegations —?Based on national security sources,?Global News?reported?that Dong was a "witting affiliate in China’s election interference networks":

• The report alleged that Dong?— a Chinese Canadian — was one of 11 Toronto?candidates that,?in CSIS' assessment, Beijing?viewed positively with one source calling Dong "a close friend of the Toronto Consulate" and "a close contact of Michael Chan, who is a target of CSIS."
• Chan, a Liberal fundraiser and now deputy mayor of Markham, pushed back against Global News, saying "this sort of vague innuendo is impossible to respond to" and that "to the extent you are suggesting I am not a true Canadian, you should be ashamed."
• An anonymous national security official further claimed that?hours before the?nomination deadline, CSIS urged the Liberal Party to rescind Dong’s candidacy from the race.

'I strongly reject the insinuations' —?In a posted statement, Dong?rejected?the allegations as Trudeau denied CSIS had advised his removal:

• "I strongly reject the insinuations... and will defend myself vigorously against such inaccurate and irresponsible claims that come from an unverified and anonymous source...?I will support all fact-based efforts from parliamentarians to investigate alleged offshore interference."
• Speaking to the press, Trudeau?stated?that "I want to make everyone understand fully that Han Dong is an outstanding member of our team and suggestions that he is somehow not loyal to Canada should not be entertained."
• The PM attacked the notion CSIS gave him orders as?"not just false, it's actually damaging to people's confidence in our democratic and political institutions," adding?that "in a free democracy, it is not up to unelected security officials to dictate to political parties who can or cannot run."
• Judi Codd, president of the Liberal electoral district association in Dong’s riding, also?refuted?the idea Dong won with China's support through bused-in and falsified votes, saying "we just think the allegations are baseless. It just makes no sense to us."

Tories demand investigation?—?The Conservative Party issued a statement?calling?on Liberals to testify on the matter:

• "Conservatives will again demand that Justin Trudeau’s Chief of Staff, Katie Telford, appear before the House Procedure and House Affairs Committee on the matter of Chinese Communist Party election interference," one figure among several officials and cabinet members.
• Tory MP Michael Cooper called it "beyond outrageous if the Prime Minister of our country was made aware that one of his Liberal candidates was compromised by the Chinese Communist Party and outright refused to do the right thing."
• Commenting separately on social media, Cooper?stated?that Liberals "ignored CSIS" and that "it looks like the Liberal Party may be compromised."

What commentators think?—?Experts have noted the opacity around the reporting on interference and the need for greater public clarity:

• Stephanie Carvin, an Associate Professor at Carleton University,?questioned?that CSIS had authority to instruct on candidacies, saying its mandate "allows it to report on threats... I do not think this would extend to 'asking' the [Prime Minister's Office] to rescind a nomination."
• Gerald Butts, former principal secretary to Prime Minister Trudeau,?stated?that Ottawa must "pull [any inquiry]?out of the realm of partisan politics and hand it over to people who are seen as above that particular activity," adding he was never given a specific example of Chinese interference.
• Guy Saint-Jacques, former Canadian Ambassador to China,?suggested?that "the government has been very slow to react" to election interference allegations and that a figure like former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour could lead a report and devise recommendations on the issue.

What They're Saying

We must do everything we can to protect the integrity of our electoral system. We need to find out what has transpired. I favour an independent inquiry because this is what will satisfy Canadians. It is not a minor issue... The point is we do not know what impact [China] had and therefore we cannot say they had no impact. That is why it is important to find out which campaigns were affected.

—?Jean-Pierre Kingsley, former Chief Electoral Officer of Canada

Although we may have some misunderstandings and dissatisfactions, what I want to emphasize is that Canada and China have extensive common interests, and our common ground is far greater than disagreements. Both Canada and China firmly support free trade. We oppose unilateralism, bullying and protectionism...?we all suffered from the experience of being bullied by the same country. We all support the WTO… we all hope to have a fair and impartial third-party dispute resolution institution, which means that when we have differences, we resolve our differences in a fair and reasonable way, rather than through unilateral sanctions.

—?Wang Shouwen,?Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce

The Canadian government wants to show that they’re doing something [with its ban of TikTok on government devices]. And if they’re not going to do an inquiry into election interference, at least they should look like they’re doing something when it comes to potential national security risks, in terms of using federal government devices.

—?Daniel Tsai, Lecturer, University of Toronto

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