News broke out now that the Canadian consul in Shanghai was PNGed and told to go home.
PNGed? So, they were converted into an image file? Seriously, what does PNGed mean?
Edited by WillKeaton on May 9th 2023 at 10:05:30 AM
I assume it meant persona non grata
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Edited by nightwyrm_zero on May 9th 2023 at 9:52:16 AM
Yes, persona non grata'd. "You've overstayed your welcome as a diplomat, GTFO."
So....how we feeling bout those by-election results? Oxford being so close is probably not a great sign for CPC.
Oh hi. Welcome to my page. Uh, I am a nice polite ND Canadian, and not a rabbit who has stolen a laptop I swear. Did you bring any carrots?
What do you think of the Conservatives’ claims that the Liberal campaign in Oxford focusing heavily on labelling the Conservative candidate as a parachute candidate was racist? (The Liberal candidate was white, the Conservative candidate was South Asian and had run in Brampton in 2019.) I want to think it’s just Polievre going “no u”, and it’s valid for people to not want parachute candidates, but the sign saying ‘Dave [the Liberal candidate] is from Woodstock not Brampton’ does feel like a dogwhistle, more than if it had said ´Toronto’ rather than Brampton, esp given that Oxford riding is overwhelmingly white. OTOH that sign is clearly homemade and not an intentional part of the campaign…
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/liberal-byelection-oxford-racist-conservatives-say-1.6884133
Edited by Galadriel on Jun 22nd 2023 at 5:24:18 AM
Olivia Chow has won the Toronto mayoral election, the first time in a long while that Toronto has had a progressive mayor.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-china-public-inquiry-csis-officers/
Let's see how this proceeds. The previous person who's suppose to oversee the inquiry on foreign interference stepped down.
Edited by Ominae on Aug 25th 2023 at 5:54:56 AM
The trial for the Freedom Convoy organizers already started.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-indian-government-nijjar-1.6970498
Trudeau is pointing the blame at India for masterminding the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot and killed in Surrey, B.C.
He's an activist/advocate for a Sikh state. Indian LEOs/intelligence called him a terrorist, but Sikh expats say that it's not true.
The death of Nijjar led to halt of talks between Canada and India for a free trade agreement.
An Indian diplomat was expelled, who was supposedly working under R&AW.
Edited by Ominae on Sep 18th 2023 at 10:45:04 AM
India kicked out a Canadian diplomat.
He may in fact have been a terrorist, Interpol’s had a notice out against him in connection with specific attacks since 2016:
Edited by Galadriel on Sep 19th 2023 at 4:33:04 AM
Haven't been able to find more info on whether the notice is still in effect or not.
Some retired intel analysts are poking fun at Trudeau's Parliament speech since he has the "balls" to do this to India, but none on Chinese (and to an extent, Russian) intereference ops.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2770187
An interview with ex-CSIS officer Daniel Stanton.
He's the Director, National Security Program at uOttawa Professional Development Institute.
He talked about how Ottawa was certain on bringing up info that Indian intelligence may have been involved in Nijjar's death when he spoke to Modi in India about it.
Edited by Ominae on Sep 19th 2023 at 8:12:48 AM
Sounds like India wasn't able to get him extradited or prove anything (or didn't try), so they just went for the immediately-fatal solution.
Of course, since this is Canada, India is going to be politely asked to stop pulling this kind of thing. There's a proper way to go aboot it.
I've heard that the Freedom Movement is planning anti-LGBT+ protest/marches tomorrow across Canada. At least in Edmonton, it's planned for 9:00 AM. I suspect same or similar times will be the case around the country.
Don't take life too seriously. It's only a temporary situation.
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Kicking the diplomat out is already pass being polite.
"Polite" was a Canada Eh stereotype and was not meant to be taken seriously. Should have been more clear that I was being ironic.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-india-nijjar-sikh-trudeau-modi-1.6971670
American officials had to be on the record that they're backing Ottawa in the investigation of Nijjar and whether R&AW really masterminded his death, considering that India's role in the FOIP policy Japan got out years ago.
Are we certain yet that India actually did it though? I heard that Canada initially accused India of plotting an assassination without much providing of evidence and then walked it back a bit to "India must take the issue seriously and co-operate with the investigation".
There is also the fact that given the amount of toxic jingoism prevalent among Indian nationalists and BJP supporters today both in and outside India, it sounds completely plausible that some rabid jingoists took the initiative independently to get rid of "anti-India elements".
Edited by xyzt on Sep 20th 2023 at 3:27:49 PM
Trudeau and a few retired ex-intelligence agents that I've seen in interviews do suggest R&AW involvement, but then I'm uncertain of it.
I don't know why I even bother reading comments on social media when news about this is shared. It seems like a lot of people in the Hindutva movement have latched onto this story.
There's even some people accusing the Canadian government of being involved with a conspiracy with the Khalistan movement and Air India Flight 182. I don't think most people outside of India have even heard of most of this stuff before.
I'm not even sure if this belongs in this thread or not, but it's weird.
That reminds, that I have once heard that conspiracies from India are well... unique. Take that with a grain of salt, though I have no idea if there is any truth to that.
What's really interesting is seeing the crossover between these different social media bubbles. I doubt most North Americans and Europeans have any political awareness regarding India
MP Michael Chong is in the headlines as of late for his statements in parliament regarding a CSIS report on the People's Republic of China interfering with the government of Canada. He says that Chinese agents are threatening and intimidating Canadian politicians to serve Beijing's interests. There's also lots of chatter about how the Chinese government might respond to Chong's alegations.
I've read a couple of recent articles on it:
The prime minister said Wednesday that the information about Chong was never shared outside of CSIS.
"We asked what happened to that information, was it ever briefed up out of CSIS? It was not. CSIS made the determination that it wasn't something that needed be raised to a higher level because it wasn't a significant enough concern," Trudeau said.
But Chong shared new information during question period on Thursday suggesting that is not true.
The MP said the current national security and intelligence adviser to the prime minister, Jody Thomas, told him Thursday that CSIS shared its 2021 assessment with relevant departments and with her predecessor. Thomas took over the position last year.
"This report contained information that and I and other MPs were being targeted by the [People's Republic of China,]" he said.
"This contradicts what the prime minister said yesterday."
CSIS tabled its latest annual report in the House of Commons Thursday. In it, CSIS confirms it has known for some time about sub-national affiliates of the People's Republic of China's police service, the Ministry of Public Security, operating in this country without the government of Canada's permission.
"CSIS has observed instances where representatives from various investigatory bodies in the PRC have come to Canada, often without notifying local law enforcement agencies, and used threats and intimidation in attempting to force 'fugitive' Chinese Canadians and permanent residents to return to the PRC," said the 2022 annual report
Catharine Tunney, "Chong says CSIS report on China targeting MPs was sent to PM's adviser," CBC News, May 4, 2023, https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/csis-annual-report-1.6831920
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Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said Thursday she requested that China's ambassador to Canada be summoned over the affair, saying that outright expulsion is an option on the table.
Chong, meanwhile,said he was told that when Canada's spy agency learned about threats against him and his family in 2021, it shared its intelligence with the prime minister's national security adviser and other departments.
That claim appears to contradict Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's assertion on Wednesdaythat the Canadian Security Intelligence Service chose not to elevate the information about unspecified threats following Chong's criticism of Beijing's human-rights record.
Trudeau's office maintains that he was left in the dark at the time.
“I've been told that the Ministry of State Security in the People's Republic of China was also doing the same,” he said.
“It's clear that they were trying to intimidate, by using the family of an MP, to intimidate an MP and other MPs to affect the course of debate in the House of Commons on foreign policy.”
Joly called the targeting of Chong and his family “completely unacceptable.”
“All options, including expulsion of diplomats, remain on the table as we consider the consequences for this behaviour,” she said.
But in a heated exchange with Chong, she said Ottawa isn't sure whether it will follow demands by the Opposition Conservatives to expel the diplomat in question.
“We're assessing the consequences that we'll be facing in case of diplomatic expulsion, because there will be consequences,” Joly warned.
Cong responded in a statement Thursday evening to say that China never interferes in the internal affairs of other countries. He accused some politicians and media outlets of manipulating China-related issues for their own gain.
“Once again, China strongly urges the Canadian side to immediately stop this self-directed political farce, and not go further down the wrong and dangerous path. Should the Canadian side continue to make provocations, China will play along every step of the way until the very end,” said Cong.
“CSIS has observed instances where representatives from various investigatory bodies in (China) have come to Canada, often without notifying local law enforcement agencies, and used threats and intimidation in attempting to force 'fugitive' Chinese Canadians and permanent residents to return.”
Foreign interference directed at Canada's democratic institutions and processes, at all levels of government, can be an effective way for a foreign state to achieve its immediate and medium- and long-term strategic objectives, the CSIS report says.
“Foreign states - again, directly and via proxies - may seek to influence electoral nomination processes, shape public discourse or influence policy positions of elected officials using covert tactics. The purpose is to advance issues or policies that favour the foreign state, or quell dissent.”
Dyland Robertson, "Joly weighs Chinese retaliation over expelling diplomat who CSIS says targeted MP," CP24, May 4, 2023, https://www.cp24.com/news/joly-weighs-chinese-retaliation-over-expelling-diplomat-who-csis-says-targeted-mp-1.6384337
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Edited by m-95 on May 5th 2023 at 9:36:08 AM
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