Thank you, Wesley for your perspective here... Join us for the launch of Wilful Blindness Foreign Interference | Elite and State Capture. www.opibooks.com Events
Perhaps those poor whistleblowers had an interest in assuring that people like yourself who somehow at all costs protect an establishment narrative that protects government malfeasance and corruption through soft power engagement are exposed. The old methodologies for understanding threat vectors are now global and not made in Ottawa and the parameters to which parliamentarians are accountable to the pubic need drastic reform.
A 2000's view on the PRC's commitment to Rule of Law and human rights reforms seems to be why our government was slow rolling its reaction to China's hybrid war operations in Canada. It is clear that the government took decisions on a plethora of public policy initiatives that were favourable to Beijing while certainly accruing some benefit to Canada.
If Han Dong is innocent, then fantastic, but nothing can take away the fact that the PRC installed him through fraud and he became an MP. That is more than enough for most Canadians to ask that he resign from parliament and the Liberals should have known better.
With FARA, the authorities will have a guide on who's who in the zoo and perhaps academics funded thought Chinese proxy companies will also face the music someday.
I'll speak up for the integrity of our intelligence agencies, and say, when it comes to leaking, I'm against it. I can't understand why they haven't been identified. Unless they have been, and quietly shuffled off. Which I would be quite okay with.
Thanks for writing this up Wesley. This is far from the first time that Cooper has made a serious mistake (just last week he was fooled by a still from a movie). Canadians cannot rely on his reporting, and more people need to know that.
Thanks Wesley. Interested to see how the court case goes. Thanks for the summary of the proceedings. I really appreciate the time and care you have spent to put this together.
Now, due to the lawsuit that Dong brought against Global and Cooper, we know more about where Cooper’s information originated. When Dong’s lawyer, Mark Polley, examined the reporter last spring, Cooper said the two stories were based on what he was told by about seven confidential sources—four of whom worked as intelligence officers and some of whom showed the reporter some documents.
Yet Cooper was not allowed to keep any copies of the documents he was shown, and none of the documents mentioned Dong by name or any conversation about the two Michaels between the MP and the Chinese consul general. In fact, Cooper was never shown any transcripts or summary of the conversation between them at all.
“Am I right that you were never able to verify the truth of what was in the two Michaels call from any document?” asked Polley at one point. “You didn’t look at a document. Is that right?”
“That’s correct,” replied Cooper.
“None of those documents refer to Han Dong as a ‘witting affiliate’, did they?” asked Polley at another moment..
“No, the words ‘witting affiliate’ or his name are not in those documents,” admitted Cooper.
When asked if he was simply relaying what CSIS believed about matters, Cooper agreed and admitted he did not investigate whether the allegations were always true.
“Am I right, then, that you didn’t know whether it was actually true that the Chinese consulate clandestinely funded an election interference network in 2019?” asked Polley at another point.
“You’re correct. I haven’t seen any—any judgement on that or a [financial intelligence agency] document to confirm that.”
“You don’t know that the network involved 11 MPs, for example?”
“I don’t know that for a fact,” conceded Cooper.
Cooper also admitted that none of his CSIS sources told him they reported their concerns about Dong to their superiors, or the Deputy Attorney General of Canada, before approaching the reporter.
Moreover, Cooper sent emails to Dong with questions only a handful of hours before Global ran the stories.
In the end, Global’s SLAPP motion failed, both because the judge found the TV network was misapplying the intention of the law and because Cooper could not substantiate his allegations. “It is quite conceivable that [Global’s] truth and justification defence is not valid,” remarked Justice Paul Perell in his ruling.
Bang on, Wesley. Contrary to your other commentators, I am more and more inclined to see a new McCarthyism at work. Of course there is unacceptable PRC interference, just as there was Soviet espionage. But that does not justify wilfully smearing people's reputations. Same goes for the 'name the names' cry about the MPs, without evidence but supposedly guilty on the basis of accusation alone. A good piece on this by Senator Yuen Pau Woo in the October Literary Review of Canada ('A Senator warns of another witch hunt') Of course the Senator will no doubt now himself be the target of 'Commie sympathizer' taunts.
Thank you, Wesley for your perspective here... Join us for the launch of Wilful Blindness Foreign Interference | Elite and State Capture. www.opibooks.com Events
Perhaps those poor whistleblowers had an interest in assuring that people like yourself who somehow at all costs protect an establishment narrative that protects government malfeasance and corruption through soft power engagement are exposed. The old methodologies for understanding threat vectors are now global and not made in Ottawa and the parameters to which parliamentarians are accountable to the pubic need drastic reform.
A 2000's view on the PRC's commitment to Rule of Law and human rights reforms seems to be why our government was slow rolling its reaction to China's hybrid war operations in Canada. It is clear that the government took decisions on a plethora of public policy initiatives that were favourable to Beijing while certainly accruing some benefit to Canada.
If Han Dong is innocent, then fantastic, but nothing can take away the fact that the PRC installed him through fraud and he became an MP. That is more than enough for most Canadians to ask that he resign from parliament and the Liberals should have known better.
With FARA, the authorities will have a guide on who's who in the zoo and perhaps academics funded thought Chinese proxy companies will also face the music someday.
I'll speak up for the integrity of our intelligence agencies, and say, when it comes to leaking, I'm against it. I can't understand why they haven't been identified. Unless they have been, and quietly shuffled off. Which I would be quite okay with.
Thanks for writing this up Wesley. This is far from the first time that Cooper has made a serious mistake (just last week he was fooled by a still from a movie). Canadians cannot rely on his reporting, and more people need to know that.
Please, instead of attacking another journalist or investigator, concentrate on National Security and Intelliegence information and reporting.
Thanks for the update, but I’m sticking with Sam Cooper. Also, I do believe there is no “e” in a court Judgment.
Thanks Wesley. Interested to see how the court case goes. Thanks for the summary of the proceedings. I really appreciate the time and care you have spent to put this together.
I'm with Sam Cooper as well. I believe his stories and think he is an excellent journalist.
Now, due to the lawsuit that Dong brought against Global and Cooper, we know more about where Cooper’s information originated. When Dong’s lawyer, Mark Polley, examined the reporter last spring, Cooper said the two stories were based on what he was told by about seven confidential sources—four of whom worked as intelligence officers and some of whom showed the reporter some documents.
Yet Cooper was not allowed to keep any copies of the documents he was shown, and none of the documents mentioned Dong by name or any conversation about the two Michaels between the MP and the Chinese consul general. In fact, Cooper was never shown any transcripts or summary of the conversation between them at all.
“Am I right that you were never able to verify the truth of what was in the two Michaels call from any document?” asked Polley at one point. “You didn’t look at a document. Is that right?”
“That’s correct,” replied Cooper.
“None of those documents refer to Han Dong as a ‘witting affiliate’, did they?” asked Polley at another moment..
“No, the words ‘witting affiliate’ or his name are not in those documents,” admitted Cooper.
When asked if he was simply relaying what CSIS believed about matters, Cooper agreed and admitted he did not investigate whether the allegations were always true.
“Am I right, then, that you didn’t know whether it was actually true that the Chinese consulate clandestinely funded an election interference network in 2019?” asked Polley at another point.
“You’re correct. I haven’t seen any—any judgement on that or a [financial intelligence agency] document to confirm that.”
“You don’t know that the network involved 11 MPs, for example?”
“I don’t know that for a fact,” conceded Cooper.
Cooper also admitted that none of his CSIS sources told him they reported their concerns about Dong to their superiors, or the Deputy Attorney General of Canada, before approaching the reporter.
Moreover, Cooper sent emails to Dong with questions only a handful of hours before Global ran the stories.
In the end, Global’s SLAPP motion failed, both because the judge found the TV network was misapplying the intention of the law and because Cooper could not substantiate his allegations. “It is quite conceivable that [Global’s] truth and justification defence is not valid,” remarked Justice Paul Perell in his ruling.
Cooper's journalistic integrity check-Busted!
Bang on, Wesley. Contrary to your other commentators, I am more and more inclined to see a new McCarthyism at work. Of course there is unacceptable PRC interference, just as there was Soviet espionage. But that does not justify wilfully smearing people's reputations. Same goes for the 'name the names' cry about the MPs, without evidence but supposedly guilty on the basis of accusation alone. A good piece on this by Senator Yuen Pau Woo in the October Literary Review of Canada ('A Senator warns of another witch hunt') Of course the Senator will no doubt now himself be the target of 'Commie sympathizer' taunts.