Canadians are being told—over and over—to trust the “institutions of democracy:” the unprecedented use of the Emergencies Act, orders-in-council that circumvent the parliamentary process, government self-investigations (like the recent Public Order Emergency Commission) and—most notably—the integrity of Canadian elections. The uncomfortable revelation that China influenced, or sought to influence, the outcomes in at least 11 electoral districts in the 2021 federal election . . . is deemed a non-issue by the sitting Prime Minister.

The fact that CSIS (Canadian Security and Intelligence Service) has flagged this issue—even identifying the involvement of nine Liberal and two Conservative candidates—is of special interest to Canadians. Even the liberal main stream media cannot duck their responsibility to report this—the implications are too chilling.

The PM, meanwhile, discounts questions in this regard, as partisan attacks and claims that attempts by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) to influence our elections had no “significant” impact on election results. Nothing to see here. That’s basically how he responded to the SNC-Lavalin scandal, the Aga Khan vacation scandal, the WE charity scandal, the groping scandal, etc.

So far, not much has stuck to this PM . . . it appears these revelations have had no “significant” impact on his willingness to impose his heavy-handed personal agenda on Canadians. His ability to stay on the ice when others would be in the penalty box for fewer and milder infractions can be partly attributed to his fawning caucus and the unwavering support of NDP Leader, Jagmeet Singh, in spite of the PM’s catastrophic mishandling of the covid crisis. Part of Justin’s immunity to scandal fallout may be his handouts to mass media outlets with invisible strings attached. Part may even be due to the nostalgic feelings some Canadians have for his father, Pierre Trudeau . . . seemingly unaware of the terrible damage that he inflicted on the country during his time in office. Any one of the above-mentioned scandals would have been enough to send a less-connected party leader to the back benches . . . or even to jail. But not Justin. He’s always “learning from his mistakes” or blaming someone else for his failures.

This most recent stain on his record, however, should never be allowed to fade, merely because he claims there was no harm done and it did not materially affect the outcome of the election. First, how can Canadians know that it did not affect the outcome? It is extremely difficult to analyze why anyone voted for a particular candidate. Money is always a factor in elections. If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t have a multitude of restrictions regarding contributions and expenses in the Canada Elections Act and in the Elections Canada regulations that are based on it.

The total amount an individual candidate is allowed to spend in a federal election or by-election is limited by law and the sources of contributions are clearly defined. Every donation—to be legal—must be traceable back to a donor who is a Canadian citizen or resident. Secondary contributions are illegal; that is, no individual, corporation or union is permitted to give money to another person for the purpose of having that person make a financial contribution to a campaign.

That’s exactly what is indicated in this case. Chinese money is said to have been given through Canadian individuals to specific candidates who were deemed to be sympathetic to the interests of China.

Funny thing: this type of illegal financial contribution also happened at SNC-Lavalin. In a lesser-known angle of that saga, SNC funds were given to employees to be passed on to certain candidates. That’s called a bribe. It’s influence buying. In SNC-Lavalin’s case, it apparently worked, as the PM pulled out all the stops to protect SNC-Lavalin officers from going to jail. What policy benefits is China vying for in its attempts to buy Canadian politicians?

Of course, the illegal contribution of foreign funds is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to unfair influence in Canadian politics. The undue influence of taxpayer-funded media giants like the CBC, CTV, Globe and Mail, etc. on public perception of candidates and parties far outweighs any indirect campaign contributions from the Peoples’ Republic of China. The impact of uneven news coverage, sprinkled liberally (no pun intended) with opinion hit pieces, has affected public opinion and voter choices over a number of federal elections. Which leaders (of Canada’s current 18 registered federal parties) get to appear on televised debates, which leaders are showcased daily during a campaign, which leaders are interviewed most frequently . . . all these are factors that affect the outcome of an election. The massive deception of the public over covid policies and the censorship, denial or attacks on alternate viewpoints automatically predispose an unsuspecting electorate to supporting candidates who are in line with government policies. And it’s being financed—unwittingly and unwillingly—with our own money.

Current government initiatives to control the exchange of information and to censor facts and opinion that contradict government pronouncements—like Bill C-11—are guaranteed to stifle dissent and to transform our society into a full-blown dictatorship, like that of the Peoples’ Republic, a dictatorship Justin Trudeau has said he “admires.”

The Christian Heritage Party does not admire China’s dictatorship, its censorship, its mistreatment of political prisoners, its organ harvesting programs, its environmental standards, its persecution of religious minorities, its killing of over 400 million pre-born babies or its aggressive actions against democratic nations. If our Prime Minister will not cooperate in a serious investigation into illegal election contributions, the RCMP, CSIS, Elections Canada and the Commissioner of Elections—with an unwavering commitment to their moral and legal obligations—must take the initiative to expose corruption in the one democratic institution over which Canadians should still have control: our electoral process. Without a free and independent press and without free and fair elections, Canada, as we know it, will cease to be a democracy.