Commonwealth_ Canadian authorities are investigating suspected interference by the Chinese government in the federal election campaign of Joe Tay, a Toronto-area Conservative candidate and prominent critic of the Chinese regime. Tay, who is running in Don Valley North, is also a known Hong Kong democracy activist. A transnational repression campaign reportedly targeted his candidacy to discredit him and influence voter perceptions.
The federal elections monitoring task force, comprised of agencies such as Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and the Privy Council Office, issued a stark warning about foreign interference. The task force said evidence suggests the People’s Republic of China (PRC) may be orchestrating a coordinated online campaign against Tay.
The campaign reportedly includes the distribution of a mock “wanted” poster, online threats, and the dissemination of negative and disparaging stories across China-based social media platforms. These activities escalated significantly in late March after Tay was officially announced as the Conservative candidate for Don Valley North. The attacks on Tay had earlier peaked in December 2024, when Hong Kong authorities placed a HK$1 million bounty on him and five other democracy activists for information leading to their arrests.
The PRC’s campaign against Tay appears to be multifaceted. Chinese-based platforms such as WeChat, RedNote, Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok), and others have been used to promote negative content and suppress positive mentions of the candidate. SITE task force officials noted that searches for Joe Tay’s name on these platforms often returned only negative content related to the bounty and arrest warrant. In contrast, supportive posts and user-generated content in his favor were either hidden or removed.
Despite the serious nature of the campaign, the task force has determined that the interference has not had a substantial impact on the integrity of Canada’s election process at either the national or local riding level. While the material being shared online is clearly inauthentic and coordinated, it has not received high levels of engagement, such as comments, shares, or likes. Nonetheless, the reach of such content has been expanding across multiple digital platforms, raising concerns about its long-term influence on public opinion and candidate safety.
As investigations continue, authorities have only definitively linked one Facebook account—called “Today Review” to the Chinese government. Other social media accounts and platforms remain under scrutiny, with officials emphasizing that proving direct state involvement in such cases can take considerable time and analytical resources.
Tay’s campaign has been aware of the mock “wanted” posters and other online threats for some time. The Canadian government has previously condemned the Hong Kong bounties as a form of transnational repression. These actions are seen not only as attempts to silence Tay but as broader efforts to interfere with democratic processes, suppress dissent, and manipulate the flow of information available to voters.
In an earlier controversy, Liberal candidate Paul Chiang made a controversial remark about Tay’s bounty, joking that attendees could turn him in for money. The backlash from that incident led to Chiang withdrawing from the race. Officials stress that transnational repression is not limited to overt actions but often consists of cumulative micro-aggressions designed to discredit individuals, cause psychological distress, and chill political participation. Victims of such repression may experience anxiety, fear, and stress as a result of sustained surveillance and harassment.
The case of Joe Tay underscores growing concerns over foreign interference in democratic elections and highlights the need for ongoing vigilance, transparency, and cross-agency collaboration to safeguard electoral integrity in Canada.
