Canadians United Against Modern Exclusion
(CUAME)
Media Statement
For Immediate Release
Foreign Disinformation from Jamestown Foundation Undermines Canadian Democracy
27 February 2026
Canadians United Against Modern Exclusion (CUAME) has released a critique of a recent report from an American Think Tank that spreads disinformation and undermines Canadian democracy. Sadly, this report is being amplified, wittingly or unwittingly, by Canadians whose motivations are unclear.
The Jamestown Foundation report, “Harnessing the People: Mapping Overseas United Front Work in Democratic States”, claims to have identified more than 2,000 organizations worldwide that are part of the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department (UFWD), of which 575 operate in Canada. The report claims that these organizations, which serve the Chinese diaspora, have been co-opted by the Chinese government to “represent the voice of the [CCP]” and “constitute latent capacity that the Party can mobilize to advance the Party’s agenda.”
The report provides just a few examples of the Canadian groups it claims to be implicated with the CCP. Based on the evidence presented in the report, the Jamestown Foundation appears to treat activities such as celebrating Chinese culture, promoting Canada-China trade, and generally representing Chinese Canadian communities as conclusive evidence of co-optation by the Chinese government. The report reflects a broader narrative in which anything short of opposition to China is treated as evidence of loyalty to Beijing, and therefore as contrary to Canadian interests.
The Jamestown Foundation did not respond to a request for the full list of Canadian organizations. The effect of not making public the list of 575 organizations is to cast suspicion on all Chinese Canadian organizations, and to invite discriminatory and stigmatizing acts against every one of them, including from national intelligence and security agencies.
The Jamestown report has even listed Chinese Canadian Liberal and Conservative Political Associations as CCP United Front Organizations, without explanation. This is particularly harmful and dangerous for Chinese Canadians who want to participate in the country’s democracy through party politics. If the Jamestown claims are taken seriously, membership in these associations could be interpreted as evidence of “surreptitious or deceptive conduct” engaged in “at the direction of, or in association with, a foreign entity.” Under the 2024 Foreign Interference and Security of Information Act, this offence carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
It is bad enough that a foreign think tank is seeking to spread disinformation in Canada. What is worse is that Canadians are aiding and abetting this kind of malign foreign interference by repeating the claims of the report and spreading fear. These sitting and former politicians, as well as former intelligence officials, are in effect acting as the foreign agents in Canada that they claim to have unearthed in the Jamestown Foundation report.
END
The case study can be found at the link below:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/686a94d23fcac277e50cd35e/t/69a1c42a3bd04b1f4a5e39f2/1772209194910/Jamestown+Report+Case+Study+.pdf
Media Inquiries:
Canadians United Against Modern Exclusion (CUAME)
Unit 1700, 10175 101 Street NW,Edmonton, AB T5J 0H3
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