Former Richmond MP claims he was victim of Chinese election meddling
Former MP Kenny Chiu is joining the calls for a public inquiry into possible election interference.
Chiu believes he was the target of Chinese meddling during the last federal election, though he doesn’t blame his loss on foreign interference.
“I’m not a sore loser,” he said Friday. “I’ve lost before in 2015 and 2019, but this time I’ve seen signs that have suggest election interference.”
Chui says comments were first brought to his attention on the messaging platform WeChat, an app primarily used by the Chinese community.
“It was visceral, it was hate, it characterized me as a traitor, as a Chinese-hater and as someone who is anti-Chinese and … a sellout to the Chinese people,” he said.
He believes it started because he proposed a private members’ bill to create a foreign influence registry, which would work to prevent election interference.
He says the disinformation was concerning, but he never took the concerns to the RCMP.
“I don’t have the confidence that they have tools and the ability to handle it.”
Before the October election, Chiu says he was approached by CSIS, but they wouldn’t say what exactly they were investigating.
A report commissioned by the federal government earlier this spring found no evidence that meddling had an impact on the election.
"The good news is the measures we put in place, we believe, and it was confirmed by the report today, resulted in no foreign interference, or even other electoral interference such as that the result of the vote would be compromised,” Domic Leblanc, the intergovernmental affairs minister said earlier this month when the report was released.
On Thursday, the House of Commons voted in favour of a public inquiry into alleged election interference.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed former governor general David Johnston was appointed to determine if a public inquiry was necessary by mid-May. The prime minister has said he believes a public inquiry would have national security limitations.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Torch has been passed': What younger generations need to know about inheriting a family cottage
As more Canadians pass their family cottages down to the next generation, 'major shifts' in the ownership of recreational homes will occur, according to Re/Max. But amid concerns around the cost of housing, some may be wondering whether they can afford to keep that family cottage. Here's what younger generations need to know about inheriting a recreational property and the market today.

How natural disasters can create long-lasting trauma
As wildfires continue to ravage across Canada, an expert warns that people who live through such natural disasters could experience serious mental health issues in the long term.
Experts warn of 'rapid' growth of IBD as number of Canadians diagnosed set to reach 470K by 2035
The number of people in Canada with inflammatory bowel disease is increasing rapidly and is expected to grow to 470,000 by 2035, according to a new report from Crohn's and Colitis Canada.
Poilievre tries to head off PPC vote as Bernier bets on social conservatives
Pierre Poilievre is off to Manitoba to rally Conservative supporters ahead of a byelection that Maxime Bernier is hoping will send him back to Parliament. The far-right People's Party of Canada leader lost his Quebec seat in the 2019 federal vote and lost again in the 2021 election.
Tantallon wildfire remains 50 per cent contained Friday morning: Halifax fire
With firefighting resources in the Halifax-area spread thin amongst multiple fires that began Thursday afternoon, the municipality’s largest fire that started Sunday remains 50 per cent contained.
Some Ottawa parents keep kids home from school due to Pride activities, OCDSB says
As the rainbow flag flew at schools across Ottawa on Thursday, the public school board says some parents kept their children home from school due to possible Pride activities.
Canadian Jamal Murray makes a difference in NBA finals game 1
The highlight of Game 1 for Jamal Murray came when he dribbled into the middle, planted his surgically repaired left knee in the paint, made a full clockwise turn, then faded away and swished a mid-range jumper.
Meet the 14-year-old who won the Scripps National Spelling Bee with 'psammophile'
Dev, a 14-year-old from Largo, Florida, wins the National Spelling Bee.
Nixing Canadian experience rule spells opportunity for Ontario foreign engineers, workers say
Accessible Community Counselling and Employment Services, a charity that supports internationally trained engineers like Zaitsev, said the dropping of the Canadian experience requirement is a welcome development.