Has Canada Underestimated China’s Threats? | The Rundown

A few years ago, Ottawa was rocked by allegations China had interfered in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. But a new book says China's attempts to influence politics in this country go back further - to the time of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Dennis Molinaro is a former national security analyst and policy adviser for the Canadian federal government and the author of "Under Assault: Interference and Espionage in China's Secret War Against Canada. 0:00 Intro 0:22 China’s Covert Actions Against Canada: A 50-Year History 0:32 Early Influence Operations and Pierre Trudeau Era 1:27 Foreign Interference vs. Legitimate Lobbying 2:01 Examples of Covert Influence and Harassment 2:37 Beyond Elections: Academia, Research, and IP Theft 3:22 Trade, Technology, and Strategic Risk 4:21 Military-Civil Fusion and National Security Concerns 5:17 Why China Is the Primary Focus 6:10 Government Response and Missed Warnings 7:22 Why the Threat Is Greater Today 8:56 Sovereignty, Democracy, and National Risk 9:51 Why Diversifying Trade With China Is a “Losing Play” 10:57 Strategic Goods, EVs, and Supply Chain Risks 12:57 Why the U.S. Can Withstand China’s Pressure—And Canada Can’t 14:18 Policy Gaps: What Canada Lacks Compared to the U.S. 14:21 Key Recommendations to Counter Foreign Interference About The Rundown: The Rundown is your nightly half-hour deep dive into just one headline. With host Jeyan Jeganathan, we’ll cover everything from housing and health care to climate and AI. We’ll break down why each topic matters, who’s living it, and what’s being done to make things better – starting right here in Ontario. Slow down. Tune in. Make sense of the moment. And tell us what you think.