加拿大华人社区是否能通过公开听证认清北京干预加拿大选举的真相？（观点）

霍格法官在公开调查的初步报告中警告称：外国干预不仅侵蚀了对加拿大选举制度的信任，还阻止了华裔社区积极参与加国民主。虽然霍格法官对2019 和2021 两次联邦大选整体完整性给与肯定，但她的报告对外国干预对加国公民以及特定族裔社区（如华裔侨社）造成的后果提出多项警告。霍格法官的调查结果揭示了干预势力采取的包括胁迫、恐吓和舆论等操纵活动在内等阴险手段，旨在操控来自大陆的华裔选民的观点和行为。

In her preliminary report for the public inquiry, Justice Hogue emphasizes a stark warning: foreign interference not only erodes trust in Canada's electoral system but also dissuades diaspora communities from actively participating in Canadian democracy. While Justice Hogue's overall assessment of the electoral process in 2019 and 2021 elections may be assuring, her report is replete with warnings regarding the profound impact of foreign meddling on individual Canadians and specifically targeted communities, such as the Chinese diaspora. Justice Hogue's findings shed light on the insidious tactics employed by external actors, including coercion, intimidation, and disinformation campaigns, all aimed at manipulating the perceptions and controlling the actions of Chinese Canadian voters.

来自中国大陆的国际留学生在2019年当古北区自由党提名赛中备受中国政府操纵和胁迫。公开调查所获文件显示，这些学生遭到恐吓，即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。而2021年的大选中，干预行动瞄准了更广泛的华裔社区。高达100万的大部分加国华裔微信用户都受到大量，迅速传播开来的虚假张贴蛊惑。一些微信文称保守党领袖奥图尔先生欲“破坏中加外交关系”，并有中文评论称“加拿大华人对保守党的政纲深感恐惧。”

International students found themselves ensnared in a complex web of interference actions orchestrated by Beijing in the 2019 DVN nomination race. 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. Disinformation campaigns targeting the broader community were revealed in the 2021 federal election. False narratives  about the Conservatives swiftly circulated on the Chinese-language social media platform, targeting about 1 million WeChat users. 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.'

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。

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.

霍格法官在报告中称：“我们的选举系统是基于对选民公正，平等对待的基础上的......这意味着选民们的投票是基于可靠信息，经过充分讨论，并通过独立思考和探索来形成的投票决定。正如霍格法官在她的报告中所强调的那样，外国干预组织的操纵、勒索和虚假信息宣传活动，对华裔社区选民造成了极其严重的民主权利伤害。 这些行为和手段影响到他们对候选人及其政纲做出正确评估，削弱了侨民社区做出明智决策的能力。 本质上说就是对选民们以清晰和自主的方式参与民主进程的基本资格的侵犯。

"Our electoral system is based on the principle of fairness among voters," wrote Justice Hogue. "Fairness presupposes that voters have access to reliable information, can take part in robust discussions and are free to think for themselves and form their own opinions." The manipulation, extortion, and disinformation campaigns orchestrated by foreign actors have inflicted a profound human toll on diaspora voters, as highlighted by Justice Hogue in her report. These tactics undermine their capacity to make informed decisions and cast doubt on their ability to assess candidates and policies accurately. In essence, they strip away the fundamental right of voters to participate in the democratic process with clarity and autonomy.  

但随着公开调查的进行，虚假信息宣传攻势却没有在华语社交媒体平台微信上偃旗息鼓。这些虚假信息攻击调查证人的诚信度，并指责调查旨在诋毁具有中国大陆背景的当选政治人物。显然，这些拥有大量点击的虚假信息针对的目标当然是那些依赖该平台和中文信息源获取其移民国度政治新闻的加国华裔微信用户。广大的华裔侨民是否能看穿这些虚假信息的真相？霍格法官的警告更提出了一个重要且紧迫的问题，即侨民社区能通过这场公开调查提高其民主意识。

As the public inquiry progresses, disinformation campaigns continue to inundate the Chinese social media platform WeChat and gain traction. Some of these articles undermine the credibility of witnesses in the inquiry, while others accuse the investigation of unfairly targeting elected politicians of mainland Chinese background. Ironically, the primary victims of this misinformation are Chinese Canadian WeChat users, who rely on the platform and Chinese-language sources for political news in their adopted country. Is the diaspora community becoming aware of the true nature of the disinformation campaign? Whether the inquiry and Judge Hogue's findings will succeed in raising democratic awareness among the targeted diaspora remains a pressing question with far-reaching implications.