Foreign Political Interference is in the Eye of the Beholder
Why are the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the federal government obsessing about Chinese political influence in Canada. The United States is pushing Canada to buy their second rate, overpriced F35 fighter jets, to spend more of the federal budget on the military, to support their war against Russia, to reduce trade with China, in other words to join them in their aggression to maintain US control of the world. This is for the benefit of the super-rich, for ruling class domination, not for the benefit of workers in Canada and the US.
There is a high degree of integration of the interests of Canadian billionaires with US billionaires. Canada, like the US, extracts huge amounts of resources from Latin America and Africa, often while refusing to pay fair royalties and taxes, refusing to support development in these countries, paying slave labour wages and using American mercenaries to maintain “order” among workers through brutality and even murder of local organizers.
Maintaining this grotesque system of violence and exploitation is what is meant when CSIS and Justin Trudeau, Pierre Poilievre and Jagmeet Singh speak about our “national interest.” This is why so much about so-called national interests is secret, hidden from the view of working people. Why would it be secret if bad actors are doing harmful things to residents of Canada, unless of course such claims are lies.
The Peoples Republic of China has become an economic powerhouse. It is offering the Global South a much better deal than Canadian imperialists do. The US operates military bases in many countries. Canada sends troops. China does neither. It offers long-term, low-interest loans to build crucial infrastructure, such as for irrigation and potable water systems, power grids, highways, and railroads, as part of its negotiations to operate mines and to extract resources. The imperialists do none of these things.
The acceleration world-wide of economic, financial, technological, and military power of the second greatest power on Earth, and the resulting decline in support for the USA, Europe and Canada by the Global South, are regarded by these ruthless exploiters as constituting an emergency. This is why they are working to instill hatred among workers in Canada, the US, and Europe towards China. They are stirring up anti-communist ideas, racist “yellow peril” fears, and accusing the Chinese rulers of human rights violations, some of which are true. The endless wars, murder, torture, careless and constant killing of civilians, overthrow of elected governments and financial devastation of so many countries through the predations of the US-run World Bank, the IMF, and through mostly illegal sanctions, are seldom ever mentioned in the western mass media. Another thing seldom reported is US interference here. Trade and investment threats are commonplace. Moreover, through the North American Air Defense (NORAD) command structure, Canadian Forces are fully integrated and subordinate to Washington.
The hue and cry about spying, such as when a Chinese weather balloon was blown off course in February, and alleged PRC efforts to influence or intimidate voters in Canada are claims designed to mobilize public opinion against the Chinese people in the interests of the white billionaire class.
If there is evidence of political interference, of intimidation and retribution against Canadian relatives and friends who reside in the PRC, clearly such practices are totally unacceptable.
So, what should be done? Demand that CSIS present the proof – without the expense and fuss of an official public enquiry, without fixating on the character of a government- appointed Rapporteur. If the spy agency pleads secrecy in the “national interest,” we know that stance is taken in the interests of the corporate ruling class and their state apparatus. Workers totally reject that rationale.
We say to CSIS and Trudeau: Produce the proof of political interference, or shut up. It is as simple as that.