National Newswatch

Weekend knife attack on B.C. bus was ISIS terrorism, RCMP alleges

Apr 3 2023 — Sam Cooper — An attack on a transit bus in Surrey, B.C. over the weekend is being treated as terrorism after RCMP national security police took over the investigation. Abdul Aziz Kawam was initially charged with attempted murder for allegedly slashing a victim’s throat on Saturday morning, but prosecutors added four counts of terrorism on Monday. A second […]

On foreign interference, Canada playing ‘whack-a-mole’ to China’s chess: expert

Mar 31 2023 — Sam Cooper — Two former intelligence officials called for a complete transformation of Canada’s security apparatus to counter expanding foreign interference operations that they say have been essentially ignored by Ottawa since the 1990s. On Friday the House of Commons standing committee on access to information, privacy and ethics heard recommendations for a new national and independent office […]

Liberal MP Han Dong secretly advised Chinese diplomat in 2021 to delay freeing Two Michaels: sources

Mar 22 2023 — Sam Cooper — Liberal MP Han Dong, who is at the centre of Chinese influence allegations, privately advised a senior Chinese diplomat in February 2021 that Beijing should hold off freeing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, according to two separate national security sources. Both sources said Dong allegedly suggested to Han Tao, China’s consul general in Toronto, that […]

Ontario legislature member is part of alleged Beijing 2019 election-interference network: sources

Mar 10 2023 — Sam Cooper — An election interference network directed by China’s Toronto consulate allegedly involved a sitting member of the Ontario legislature, according to sources with knowledge of the investigation into Beijing’s covert efforts during the 2019 federal election. Those sources assert that Vincent Ke, a Progressive Conservative member in Premier Doug Ford’s government since 2018, served as a […]

Trudeau briefed ‘multiple’ times since 2019 on election interference, adviser testifies

Mar 1 2023 — Sam Cooper — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was provided “multiple” intelligence briefs regarding Beijing’s role in Canada’s 2019 and 2021 federal elections, Trudeau’s national security and intelligence adviser confirmed Thursday at a multi-partisan committee on foreign interference. Jody Thomas was testifying before a group of MPs that began hearings last November in response to revelations in Global News […]

Liberals ignored CSIS warning on 2019 candidate accused in Chinese interference probe: sources

Feb 25 2023 — Sam Cooper — Three weeks before Canada’s 2019 federal election, national security officials allegedly gave an urgent, classified briefing to senior aides from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office, warning them that one of their candidates was part of a Chinese foreign interference network. According to sources, the candidate in question was Han Dong, then a former Ontario MPP […]

2020 intel warned Trudeau government that China’s interference in Canadian elections will likely be ‘pervasive’

Dec 21 2022 — Sam Cooper — An unredacted 2020 national security document alleges that Beijing used an extensive network of community groups to conceal the flow of funds between Chinese officials and Canadian members of an election interference network, all in an effort to advance its own political agenda in the 2019 federal contest. The Privy Council Office document, which Global […]

Secret 2020 Privy Council Office memo found ‘active foreign interference network’ in 2019 election

Dec 13 2022 — Sam Cooper — A February 2020 Privy Council Office national security memo documented China‘s alleged “subtle but effective foreign interference networks” that targeted the 2019 federal contest, said MP Michael Cooper. In the Procedure and House Affairs Committee hearing Tuesday, the Conservative member from Edmonton quoted from a redacted document, saying: “Investigations into activities linked to the Canadian […]

Toronto businessman allegedly focus of Chinese interference probes: sources

Nov 16 2022 — Sam Cooper — A prominent businessman in Toronto’s Chinese community is the subject of two separate investigations involving foreign interference, sources tell Global News, both related to a series of briefings and memos that Canadian security officials allegedly gave to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau beginning in January. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service has investigated Wei Chengyi for his […]

Canadian intelligence warned PM Trudeau that China covertly funded 2019 election candidates: Sources

Nov 7 2022 — Sam Cooper — Canadian intelligence officials have warned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that China has allegedly been targeting Canada with a vast campaign of foreign interference, which includes funding a clandestine network of at least 11 federal candidates running in the 2019 election, according to Global News sources. Delivered to the prime minister and several cabinet members in […]

Russian buyer of Canadian oil company accused of paying kickbacks to former Ukrainian PM

Aug 17 2022 — Sam Cooper — A Russian energy billionaire was able to buy a majority stake in a Canadian oil and gas company without any regulatory scrutiny, despite a longstanding battle in a U.S. federal court over his alleged role in schemes involving international money-laundering, kickbacks and a disgraced former Ukrainian prime minister, Global News has learned. Igor Makarov, who […]

Alleged RCMP mole accused of selling secrets to kingpin money launderer and terror-financier’s network

Jan 14 2021 — Sam Cooper — In October 2014, Canadian intelligence leaders were invited to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s headquarters in Chantilly, Va. The DEA had a theory: the upper echelons of global money laundering, terrorism, drug-trafficking and organized crime all bleed together. And only a handful of men in this murky world of extremely powerful criminals had organizations capable […]

Chinese vaccine company executives worked in program now targeted by Western intelligence agencies

Dec 2 2020 — Sam Cooper — Top executives at CanSino Biologics — the Chinese company involved in a failed COVID-19 vaccine collaboration with Canada — were also part of a Chinese government program designed to incentivize people to transfer research and knowledge to China in exchange for salaries, funding and other benefits. Several former Canadian Security Intelligence Service officials interviewed by […]

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