Richmond civics educator raises concerns over election interference

I think late. It’s better than never. You could call it vindication for Kenny Chu. The former Conservative MP lost his Steveston Richmond E seat to Parmesan by about 3000 votes in 2021. He raised concerns about foreign interference in the election, spurring a public inquiry. A report released on Friday suggested there was a reasonable possibility meddling cost Chew his seat. Canada is a fertile ground for foreign interference. The diaspora communities, unfortunately, is at the front line, and they get the bond of it. The report cited misinformation about Chew that was spread by online outlets and social media sites with ties to Beijing. Canadians may have lost a little bit of confidence in our electoral system, a finding that comes as no surprise to this former Canadian intelligence official. That is kind of the end game. Of a lot authoritarian states or contempt for liberal democracies, IS will eventually not participate and not see them as valid. Concerns now mounting in Richmond, where residents may have been targeted. English is not our first language. Even though we watch English news, many diaspora, including the Chinese community we watch and receive news in. Chinese civic education advocate Ken Tong says misinformation can be hard to avoid for many. He says possible influence of Beijing over the community is upsetting. We move to Canada is 1 to. Leave all the threat behind and now it feel like it it is all the threat and unsafe situation is falling us. Tong says What’s needed is a public platform where people can report misinformation to stop it from spreading. He’s also calling on community members to look out for themselves and each other. If you have the engagement, you can receive proper information. The federal inquiry will now look at ways to stop foreign meddling, with more hearings expected later this year. John Hernandez, CBC News, Richmond.