The Canadian government announced on Monday (April 7th) that the most popular news account on the Chinese social media platform WeChat is spreading false reports about Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in an attempt to influence Canada’s election campaign.
The Office of the Privy Council of Canada stated that “deliberate coordinated misinformation actions against Mr. Carney are being spread on WeChat to the Chinese audience, including those living in the Chinese community in Canada.”
In a statement issued in Ottawa, the government stated that the false information on the account involves Carney’s experience and qualifications, with the intention of manipulating Chinese voters. The statement added that these actions will not affect the progress of the federal election scheduled for April 28th.
The Canadian government stated that the false information is being disseminated by an account named “Youli-Youmian” and cited intelligence reports linking the account to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
According to the 2021 census, Canada has 1.7 million Chinese Canadians, accounting for 4.7% of the total population. Chinese Canadian voters have significant influence in Parliamentary constituencies in major cities like Vancouver and Toronto.
Last month, the Canadian government indicated that the CCP is likely attempting to interfere in the upcoming election, while Beijing has denied previous interference accusations. The account “Youli-Youmian” has previously engaged in “malicious behavior” targeting senior Canadian political figures in June 2023 and January 2025.
The Canadian government has expressed concerns with Tencent, the developer of WeChat, regarding the situation.
(This article referenced reports from Reuters)