Diaspora community members tell of toll foreign meddling takes on families
Members of diaspora communities told a federal inquiry Wednesday of the ways that authoritarian governments make life extremely difficult for families when members dare question the regimes.
The federal commission of inquiry into foreign interference heard from a panel of representatives of various communities about the human toll meddling can take.
Many Russians who settled in Canada have parents or other relatives who remained behind, said Yuriy Novodvorskiy of the Russian Canadian Democratic Alliance.
Russian diplomats in Canada use video surveillance and social media to identify people who engage in protest against Moscow, he said.
"We've had cases where Russian activists have been identified here in Canada, and then police initiate some sort of harassment actions against their family back home."
In other cases, members of the Russian community might be denied access to consular services, meaning they cannot renew travel documents or ensure they still have valid status as visitors to Canada, he said.
Human rights activist Hamed Esmaeilion said members of the Iranian community in Canada wear masks, sunglasses and hats at rallies so they cannot be identified.
"There are reports that when they travel to Iran, cell phones get confiscated, they get persecuted, interrogated, their family members in Iran are under pressure," he said.
"We have had members who met Canadian Parliament members here, and their family members in Iran have been pressured or have been interrogated," added Esmaeilion, representative of the Association of Families of Flight PS752, a jetliner shot down by Iranian officials shortly after takeoff from Tehran in 2020.
Most of the passengers were bound for Canada, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament in September there were "credible allegations" of Indian involvement in the killing of Sikh independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who had been wanted by India for years and was gunned down in June outside the B.C. temple he led.
Canada subsequently expelled an Indian diplomat, and India followed suit by kicking out a Canadian representative.
India is a hostile state, and the Sikh community is facing the brunt of the hostility, said Jaskaran Sandhu, appearing on behalf of the Sikh Coalition.
Mehmet Tohti of the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project indicated that Beijing's repression of community members takes place on a routine basis.
Tohti said Uyghur Canadians have told him of not being able to share news of a joyful event with family back home because communication is blocked.
"You cannot send a text to them, you cannot call them and you cannot share photos," said Tohti, adding some Uyghurs in Canada don't know if family members are alive or dead.
He spoke of the Chinese government making arrests for communicating with people abroad or withholding travel documents.
Ottawa has said there are credible reports of human rights violations against Uyghurs and others in the Xinjiang region, including mass arbitrary detention, forced separation of children from their parents, and suppression of religious and cultural practices.
The head of the foreign interference inquiry emphasized Wednesday that the need for secrecy about the sensitive subject has not hindered her work to date.
Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue cautioned, however, that the inquiry must walk a very fine line in balancing confidentiality and the desire for transparency.
The latest hearings, which run through April 10, will focus on possible interference by China, Russia, India and others in the last two general elections.
The inquiry expects to hear from dozens of people, including Trudeau and members of his cabinet, political party representatives and federal election officials.
The inquiry held an initial set of hearings in late January and early February to solicit ideas on how to publicly disclose as much information as possible.
Even so, Hogue said recently she had agreed to a federal request to present some evidence in the absence of other participants and the public.
In her remarks Wednesday, Hogue stressed that confidentiality related to national security issues has in no way impaired her ability to search for the truth.
The commission has had access to a large number of classified documents in their entirety, meaning they were not redacted to protect national security, Hogue said.
"In fact, confidentiality imperatives have so far not prevented us from doing the work we have been tasked to do," she said.
"But they do pose real difficulties as I endeavour to keep the process transparent and open. The commission must walk a very fine line in its work."
People often react with suspicion when secrecy shields information held by the government, Hogue said in French. "Yet it is undeniable that there is a strong public interest in maintaining at least some forms of government secrecy."
The initial hearings showed that withholding certain types of information may be essential for Canada to conduct activities vital to national security and international commitments, Hogue added.
The preliminary hearings also revealed that is particularly true in the area of foreign interference, since "sophisticated foreign state actors" may be engaged in collecting information about Canada and its citizens, she said.
"In this context, information that could reveal the sources of intelligence, methods of collection or the targets of investigations is particularly sensitive," Hogue said.
"The disclosure of such information to hostile actors could cause serious harm, both to Canadian citizens and to Canada as a whole."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2024.
This is a corrected story. An earlier version misspelled the name of Hamed Esmaeilion.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada will cut its permanent immigration levels by at least 20 per cent
Canada will lower the number of permanent immigrants it allows into the country by at least 20 per cent from its previous target of 500,000, ۴ý confirmed Wednesday.
The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.
A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.
Trudeau says Liberals 'strong and united' despite caucus dissent
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Liberal party is 'strong and united,' despite efforts from within his caucus to oust him as leader.
'Canadians can breathe a sigh of relief': Bank of Canada governor on interest rate cut
The Bank of Canada made a sizable cut to its key lending rate Wednesday from 4.25 per cent to 3.75 per cent as the global economy continues to expand. The half percentage point cut is the fourth rate cut in a row by the central bank as inflation dropped from 2.7 per cent in June to 1.6 per cent in September.
A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.
A new report suggests that Canadians' exposure to a radioactive gas is increasing, putting millions of people at a higher risk of developing lung cancer.
Local Spotlight
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
A meteor lit up our region's sky last night – with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.
Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.
A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.
Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that – and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.