公开调查显示外国干预损害大陆华裔社区民主权利(观点)
对那些在2019年多伦多联邦自由党DVN选区提名竞选赛中参与投票的中国大陆的留学生来说,其首次民主体验就被自己国家政府的专横和强制手段所玷污。针对2019年和2021年联邦选举的外国干涉的公开调查显示,这些学生在来到投票站之前就受到中国政府策划的一系列强迫、恐吓和欺骗。 公开调查所获文件显示,这些学生遭到的恐吓称,如不在提名赛中投票支持中共青睐的候选人董晗鹏,则将导致他们的学习签证不保。此外,又有指控称,某些学生收到伪造地址的虚假文件以使其有资格在该投票程序投票。毫无疑问,这些令人不寒而栗的事实使这些留学生成为中国政府干预加拿大民主的直接受害者。
The first encounter with democratic processes by a group of Chinese international students studying in Canada, who participated in the Liberals' 2019 DVN nomination race, was marred by the coercive tactics of their home country's authoritarian regime. The public inquiry on foreign interference (FI) in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections revealed that even before reaching the polling station, these students found themselves ensnared in a complex web of coercion, intimidation, and deceit orchestrated by Beijing. Veiled threats from the Chinese state implied that not supporting Han Dong, a candidate in the nomination race, could jeopardize their study permits—a troubling revelation outlined in an intelligence summary presented to the inquiry. Moreover, emerging allegations suggest that some students were provided with falsified documents, falsely affirming their residency in the riding, in an attempt to validate their eligibility as voters. The chilling experiences unequivocally cast them as the direct victims of Beijing's surreptitious interference in Canadian democracy.
中共的干涉行动不仅对2019年提名竞选中的国际学生受到伤害,而且在2021年联邦选举期间也忽悠了大量微信用户。公开调查发现,针对联邦保守党的虚假信息迅速在中文社交媒体平台上传播开来。大量在线帖子宣称保守党领袖奥图尔先生欲“破坏中加外交关系”,并有中文评论声称“加拿大华人对保守党的政纲深感恐惧”。高达100万的大部分加国华裔微信用户都受到这些不实之词的蛊惑,其投票行为也不可避免地被这场虚假信息宣传左右。显然,这一强大的虚假宣传攻势是对他们的民主和宪章无声的侵犯,剥夺了他们应享受的自由和独立投票的权利。
The CCP's interference campaign had a much broader negative impact that extended well beyond the international students in the 2019 nomination race to encompass a significant portion of WeChat users during the 2021 federal election. The public inquiry found that false narratives targeting Conservatives swiftly circulated on the Chinese-language social media platform. A flood of online posts propagated the notion that Mr. O’Toole was inclined to 'almost break diplomatic relations,' accompanied by Chinese language commentary asserting that 'Chinese Canadians are fearful of the Conservative platform.' With up to 1 million WeChat users, predominantly Chinese Canadians, being exposed to these false narratives, their voting decisions were inevitably swayed by the disinformation campaign. The pervasive influence of falsehoods has silently eroded their democratic and constitutional rights, depriving them of the ability to vote freely and independently.
正如国际学生被迫投票支持北京选中的候选人一样,许多华裔社区成员也被迫于中国政府的胁迫和恐吓,为了保护自己和家人而不得不放弃他们对中共批评者的支持。来自温哥华东区的新民主党议员关慧贞在公开调查中的作证,突显其被困境所扰的其选区选民所面临的残酷现实。屈就于北京的淫威的他们只得掩盖起自己的政治立场: "有人私下对我耳语称,他们怕遭到中共的报复,怕伤及自身或连累家人而不敢公开支持我,"关慧贞在证词中说道。
Just as the international students were coerced into supporting Beijing's preferred candidate, many community members were similarly forced to yield to Beijing's coercion and intimidation, sacrificing their support for Beijing's critics to protect the well-being of themselves and their families. Testimonies from Jenny Kwan, an NDP MP representing the Chinese Canadian riding of Vancouver East, highlighted the stark reality faced by her constituents caught in the tension, illustrating how they hid their political stance under the pressure exerted by Beijing. "I’ve had people come up to me to whisper, worried about their support for me and that it might be discovered by the CCP, with potential repercussions for themselves or their family members," Kwan told the inquiry.
令人遗憾的是,加国政府的不作为使中国政府的干预行动得不到有效遏制。尽管特鲁多政府了解国外干预2019年的提名赛,但这一车的国际学生仍然在提名竞选中投了“有效票”,完全践踏了他们的选举自由。此外,特鲁多政府官员对微信用户遭到中国政府的虚假宣传攻势之袭击无动于衷,未能采取任何行动来摧毁在加拿大华人选民中所捏造的不实之词。
Unfortunately, this interference persisted due to the government's inadequate response. Despite Ottawa being informed about Beijing's actions, a busload of international students still cast "valid votes" in the nomination race, compromising their voting freedom. Moreover, Trudeau government officials showed little concern for WeChat users' exposure to Beijing's disinformation campaign and took no action to debunk the massive false narratives circulating among Chinese Canadian voters.
公开调查揭示了加拿大大陆移民社区所面临的民主困境这一令人震惊的事实, 许多华裔人士仍生活在中共掌控的阴影之下,其在加国社会中的民主和宪章权利受到其来源国政府的干扰和破坏。加拿大政府必须对此采取果断行动,保护族裔加国人士免受外国干涉,尤其是那些直接被其来源国政权干预行动所累及和伤害的群体社区。
The public inquiry has unearthed alarming revelations regarding the democratic challenges faced by the Chinese Canadian immigrant community. Living under the looming influence of Beijing, many members of the diaspora have seen their constitutional integrity in Canada undermined by external interference. Taking decisive actions to safeguard ethnic Canadians from foreign meddling is paramount for the government of Canada, especially for those directly targeted and vulnerable to the meddling efforts of their home country regime.