Foreign interference victims give emotional testimony at federal inquiry

Indian community diaspora community groups say their members are the direct victims of foreign interference and want this public inquiry to do something about it. It touches your life, It touches your safety, It touches your security. It touches your family comfort. It touches your career. It touches your future. You don’t get sleep. Their testimony is part of an inquiry investigating the extent to which China, Russia and other countries meddled in the past two federal elections. But what they suffered is even more personal, because we have come through many of these things that we don’t have to. They say they’re being watched, followed and intimidated by foreign proxies on Canadian soil. The community doesn’t feel safe, and they’re worried. They’re targets, they say, because they’ve been critical of their home country’s human rights records. They collect information, they monitor your schedule, and they send that information to the public safety in China and the coordinate together. And them in China reach out to your families, family members and take hostage of your family members and force you. To do something against your will here in Canada. That transnational repression, they say, can involve their home country refusing consular services or even laying criminal charges abroad for protesting here because they posted something on social media or engaged in some sort of activism against the Russian government, they have criminal charges laid against them, and then this becomes an additional obstacle when they attempt to gain citizenship. So it is a major threat the inquiry will hear from about 40 witnesses over the next two weeks. Including those from intelligence agencies, political parties and the Prime Minister himself. Ashley Burke, CBC News, Ottawa.