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Written by: Aidan Jonah
An ATIP document obtained by The Canada Files reveals that Canada’s military invited Global News to embed in a provocative 2023 Canada-US mission in the South China Sea which led to a China-bashing, narrative-shaping story.
Canada’s Maritime Forces (Atlantic) and Maritime Component Command, under the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), knew this would be an embed “during a transit of some sensitive areas of the region” (A202300466, Page 85), and made sure to invite one of Canada’s largest mainstream media outlets to be there for it. While Global News had previously applied to embed, “targeting sensitive transits” (A202300466, Page 69), the initiative for the embed in this specific transit, that led to a story claiming the Chinese navy put a US ship in danger, came from Canada’s military.
Captain Trevor Ackland of the CAF hoped this was “enough information to start a conversation about your [Global News’] availability” (A202300466, Page 84).
What was Global News available for?
The joint Canada-US mission didn’t just traverse through middle-ground areas of the South China Sea, a body of water which stretches more than 3000 kilometers from north to south, and around 1200 kilometres from east to west. The mission, with HMCS Montreal making up the Canadian contingent, explicitly went through the Taiwan Strait, which stretches only between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan province.
Why would a ‘freedom of navigation’ mission by Western countries through this strait be sensitive for China? Because Western countries, including Canada, have been subtly supporting Taiwan separatism for years, a separatism which would be a grave violation of China’s sovereignty.
The military told Global News it was prioritizing, for Global News’ “10 day embed”, coverage of “Canada’s Indo-Pacific Policy in action, operational capabilities, interoperability with Allies” (A202300466, Page 69) among other topics.
Why would a story portraying the Chinese navy as nasty and law-breaking be helpful for Canada’s military? Because it would help justify Canada’s Indo-Pacific Policy/Strategy “in action” and emphasize the importance of the Canadian navy’s “operational capabilities” and “interoperability with Allies”. Canada’s Indo-Pacific Policy/Strategy began in November 2022 with (bolding added):
“$492.9 million to reinforce Canada’s Indo-Pacific naval presence and increase Canadian Armed Forces participation in regional military exercises;”
And on June 3, 2023, a Global News article hit the Canadian military’s desired prioritizations. Its core claim? That a Chinese warship conducted “the latest aggressive military move from Beijing in the South China Sea”, when it altered its course, forcing a U.S. destroyer to “alter course and slow down to avoid a crash.”
Who gets cited first? HMCS Montreal commander Capt. Paul Mountford, who called the Chinese warship’s actions “not professional” and “clearly instigated by the Chinese”.
The supposed unprofessional action of the Chinese warship? That, according to Mountford, “the crew called the American ship and told them to move or there would be a collision.”
Then, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is cited as claiming that the Chinese warship “executed maneuvers in an unsafe manner in the vicinity of Chung-Hoon.”
Three-quarters into the article is when a Chinese perspective is finally included. Global News cites Jianwei Li, deputy director of the embassy’s cultural and press section, who disputed claims of dangerous moves, stating that the warship had been “lawfully and professionally” monitoring both the Canadian and US warships and criticized them for having “hyped (the sailing) up publicly”.
The Chinese comment was quickly enveloped by concluding the article with comments from Canada’s then-defence minister Anita Anand, who defended the Canada-US joint mission.
Shaping the theater (narrative), under the guise of “informing Canadians”, how clever.
Canada’s Maritime Forces (Atlantic) and Maritime Component Command, as well as Global News, did not respond to The Canada Files’ request for comment
What does the CAF’s Navy media embedding guide tell us?
“11. Embedded journalists will be frequently reminded of… the need to maintain the highest level of technical accuracy. The Commanding Officer of the host ship retains the right to review and require changes in media products containing potentially sensitive information, but only to the extent necessary to ensure that OPSEC is neither violated or breached…
13. Journalists should be aware that any failure to obey directions regarding the release of information concerning force protection might result in the termination of their embedding and removal from the host ship.”
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“Maritime Component Commander’s Media Embedding Program: Guidelines, Ground Rules and Documentation for His Majesty’s Canadian Ships” (A202300466, Page 8)
Now what is force protection (bolding added)?
“Force protection: All measures and means to minimize the vulnerability of personnel, facilities, equipment and operations to any threat and in all situations, to preserve freedom of action and the operational effectiveness of the force. (AAP-6(2008): NATO Glossary of Terms and Definitions)”
To make the message even more clear, the aforementioned guide also states:
“Embedding may be immediately terminated for any journalist or media organization responsible for releasing information provided by the CAF that could have a negative effect on operations security” (A202300466, Page 10)
Canadians also certainly wouldn’t know if Canadian special forces had any hand in operations, given that:
“Embedded journalists are forbidden to report on capture any kind of imagery of Canadian Special Operation Forces Command (CANSOFCOM) personnel or operations” (A202300466, Page 14)
With the controversy triggering this story centered on Canada-US naval actions in the Taiwan Strait, it’s pertinent to note that this is one of the following kinds of information that “shall not be released”:
“Information about intelligence collection activities including targets, methods of attack and results” (A202300466, Page 20)
As author Yves Engler has repeatedly argued, Canadians should understand how important war/militarist propaganda creation is for Canada’s government even during peacetime, and the eye-catching conditions Canadian media have ceded to in the name of military access.
The benefits of shaping the theater around the South China Sea and its Taiwan Strait have shown themselves in recent days. On February 16, 2025, a Canadian warship, HMCS Ottawa, transited through the Taiwan Strait – soon after two US warships had done the same – provoking China’s anger, which stated that Canada had “deliberately stirred up trouble and undermined peace and stability”.
Most Canadians haven’t batted an eye, and this kind of Canadian government action is totally normalized inside the country. That is, at least in part, a legacy of Global News’ China-bashing story in June 2023, possible only because the Canadian military invited them for the exact naval transit where the Chinese warship controversy erupted from.
Document
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A202300466
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Aidan Jonah is the Editor-in-Chief of The Canada Files, a socialist, anti-imperialist news outlet founded in 2019. Jonah wrote a report for the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council, held in September 2021.
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Editor’s note: The Canada Files is the country’s only news outlet focused on Canadian foreign policy. We’ve provided critical investigations & hard-hitting analysis on Canadian foreign policy since 2019, and need your support.
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