Beyond general elections: How could foreign actors influence the prime ministership?

Recent reports of election interference ring alarm bells about the vulnerability of the Canadian political process. We examine a different but potentially more perilous loophole in the electoral process beyond general elections to demonstrate how foreign actors could directly influence the prime min...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal (Toronto) 2024-03, Vol.79 (1), p.149-159
Main Authors: Au-Yeung, Ronaldo, Tagirova, Alsu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ballots
Computer security
Cybersecurity
Diaspora
Elections
Identity
Immigrants
Languages
Leadership
Manipulation
Membership
Political leadership
Political parties
Registration
Verification
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Summary:Recent reports of election interference ring alarm bells about the vulnerability of the Canadian political process. We examine a different but potentially more perilous loophole in the electoral process beyond general elections to demonstrate how foreign actors could directly influence the prime ministership through the manipulation of party membership. We suggest that foreign actors could influence the selection process of party leadership and, consequently, the prime ministership, simply by purchasing party memberships that distribute ballots in leadership elections without identity verification. After introducing China and Russia's strategies to influence Canadian politics, we offer a few recommendations to address the party membership loophole. These include identity verification at the time of membership registration and ballot mail-in, flagging membership irregularities, additional and dedicated funding to political parties to build robust cybersecurity practices, and creating additional content in languages other than English or French to mitigate the influence of state–controlled or sponsored media on immigrant and diaspora communities.
ISSN:0020-7020
2052-465X
DOI:10.1177/00207020241234240