I think two things are happening. One, some of the people who have spoken out—for example, some of those who signed that recent letter seeking to have Ms. Meng returned to China—I think simply display a kind of fatigue. The effort to remain autonomous and independent in the face of an increasingly aggressive China is great. It worries me when I see people who are thought leaders lacking that sense of energy that it takes to defend our national interests.
But there is something else as well—in fact, Dr. Lobsang Sangay spoke about it—and that is what's referred to as “elite capture”. For a variety of reasons, many of them having to do with money, China has been able to capture the loyalty and attention of elites in many countries, and indeed encourage people to repeat its own talking points.
Australia passed its Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act because it was feeling the effects of this in Australia. Again, Dr. Sangay pointed to some of the transitions where people go from being ministers to being representatives of Chinese corporations. What this would do is simply request transparency. If you choose to go to work for China or for another country, you can do that, but you have to be transparent about it. But if you're a leader—if you're a member of Parliament, a former ambassador or a cabinet minister—you have an extra burden. That is, anything you do to share with a foreign power, directly or through a state-controlled company, the skills, contacts and experience you gained while you had the privilege of serving the Canadian people must be transparently reported to the Canadian people—or the Australian people, in that case.