Senior Interpreter, Indigenous Languages Interpretation Multilingual Interpretation and Accessible Communications Service to Parliament and Interpretation Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Honorable Commissioner and Members of the Commission on Foreign Interference,
My name is Marianne Situ, I am the Senior Interpreter for Indigenous Languages Interpretation at Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada. As a first-generation Chinese Canadian who immigrated to Ottawa from Beijing 35 years ago and who became a Canadian Citizen 30 years ago, as a Public Servant with 25 years of exemplary service record and who had the privilege of serving 4 Prime Ministers (Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin, Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau) and 4 Governors General (Adrienne Clarkson, Michaëlle Jean, David Johnston and Mary J. Simon) with distinction, I would like to make the following points with regards to the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions:
First, as Chief Interpreter (Chinese/English/French) for 20 years and Senior Interpreter for Indigenous Languages Interpretation Service for the last 10 years for the Federal Government, I have Top Secret Clearance for more than 25 years. I have full access to the highest political and civil leadership of Canada in my professional capacity and I work as on-site coordinator in the Parliament on a daily basis. I have full access to information and documentation of the highest level of confidentiality in the public service. I can guarantee that I have never experienced any attempt to exert undue influence on me from the Chinese Government officials and/or PRC representatives abroad.
Second, as an active member of the local Chinese Community, with long-standing involvement and active participation in cultural and artistic activities in the multicultural society of the National Capital Region, I have never experienced any foreign interference from the Embassy of PR China, nor have I ever felt being targeted by the Chinese Government in my cultural and community activities.
Third, I use WeChat and other means of communications to maintain contact with friends and family in China, for I grew up there and still visit relatives in Beijing on an annual basis with my husband and son. However, my connection with them is purely personal and apolitical. I have not experienced any attempts from them to spread CPC propaganda. Even though their points of view are somewhat skewed and influenced by the controlled State media, I enjoy my freedom of expression and access to a full and balanced press coverage of world events. I am fully capable of independent and critical thinking with regards to events happening in China. In fact, the reason why I came to Canada in the first place was to leave the oppressed political environment behind so that I can build a better life in pursuit of freedom, democracy and happiness in Canada.
Forth, I understand that the risks exist for some individuals to be targeted by foreign influence in their work or in their personal connections. However, the exaggeration of such risks and especially the baseless and unsubstantiated accusations directly targeting Chinese Canadian Citizens like my husband Justin Zheng Li and me personally from the likes of Garnett Genuis are creating an atmosphere of fear, intimidation and harassment resulting even in death threats which severely damaged our emotional wellbeing, our normal professional and family life.
The overreaction against some fabricated “foreign interference” became a pretext for willful distortion of truth and malicious personal attacks on anyone who disagrees with the extremist and fundamentalist nationalism of the “traditional conservative values”. Such witch-hunt infringed upon our basic human rights as Canadian Citizens which should and ought to be protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom.
My husband and I are the innocent victims of such smear campaign since 2021 and we have first-hand experience of the painful consequences of it. We suffered the worst type of discrimination and unfair treatment since the initial hearings of the public inquiry into Foreign Interference (please find attached the full account of my personal experience in the annexe of this letter).
I understand that the deadline for submission to the Commission has already past. But I feel strongly that I should make my voice heard by the Commission nevertheless. Because we are not the only ones feeling the pain and experiencing the violation of our fundamental freedoms and rights, many Chinese Canadians share the same view and the same concern, even though they were sometimes too scared to speak out and opted to suffer in silence instead.
I am prepared to make public appearances as a witness if and when I am called upon by the Commission to do so, in order to provide my side of the story and my personal input in full.
Thank you most sincerely for your attention and your careful deliberation.
Respectfully,
Marianne Situ Ph.D.
Senior Interpreter, Indigenous Languages Interpretation
Multilingual Interpretation and Accessible Communications
Service to Parliament and Interpretation
Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Interprète principale, interprétation des langues autochtones
Interprétation multilingue et Communications accessibles
Service au Parlement et Interprétation
Bureau de la traduction, Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada
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