Update on Canada’s Actions to Protect General Election 45

The Government of Canada held its third briefing to media regarding the actions that it is taking to protect the 45th General Election from foreign interference.

Ottawa, Ontario, April 21, 2025 – Today, the Government of Canada held its fifth briefing to media regarding the actions that it is taking to protect the general election from foreign interference.

As part of its mandate to monitor the digital information ecosystem during the general election, the SITE Task Force has observed a transnational repression (TNR) operation targeting the general election.

The TNR operation is taking place on social media platforms where Chinese-speaking users in Canada are very active. This includes Facebook, WeChat, TikTok, RedNote, and Douyin, a sister-app of TikTok for the Chinese market.

The content of this operation features a mock “wanted poster”, as well as disparaging headlines and comments, about Joe Tay, Conservative party candidate for Don Valley North. Mr. Tay is known for his opposition to PRC laws and practices in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and is one of six individuals targeted with monetary bounties by Hong Kong Police in December 2024.

The images and videos have, together, received varying levels of engagement, and have been amplified on several platforms and Chinese-language news sites. While overall engagement levels since they peaked in December 2024 have been low, they have increased at various points during the writ period. The SITE Task Force has determined that certain activity shows signs of coordinated inauthentic behaviour.

The SITE Task Force has discussed this issue with social media platforms to inform them of the findings, and to raise our concerns. The SITE Task Force has also briefed the cleared representative of the Conservative Party about this information operation.