Wilful Blindness, by Sam Cooper

A Review

I always know that a book has left an impact on me, if after I’ve read it, the emotions it triggers still linger in my mind for days. Some of my favourite books have left me happy and excited, emotionally full, and some have left me in awe of the journey.

Wilful Blindness, (third edition, Optimum Publishing International, 2024) which represents more than 10 years of research by the journalist Sam Cooper, has left me shocked, disheartened, and angry at my own country’s leaders, for not taking steps to protect our borders from invasion by China, which really add up to acts of war. They’ve been diligent and skillful in their creation of a complex business network of fentanyl production, drug money laundering through British Columbia casinos and the real estate market, using corrupt contacts within Canadian banks and their own underground financial systems. They have also continued to be involved in the “elite capture” of important politicians (which is in danger of becoming “state” capture), election interference, while Chinese players in this underground economy backed by Beijing make constant threats on Canadian citizens of Chinese descent.

After reading this book, I would say that China’s influence on our country is now a democratic crisis, and most of us are not even aware of it. Or we pooh-pooh the subject, like it was conspiracy theory, or even more maudlin - racism.

This is not an easy book to read. I bought it back in March, and I’ve been working through it slowly since then. It is now October, and with the last few pages left, I can say that it is extremely dense – thick, small type, deeply researched, and difficult to soak in. Cooper sets up the story from the first incursions into British Columbia in the 1980s and takes you all the way up to 2022… and Justin Trudeau’s office, among other politicians.

“Gently but forcefully, China’s donors foster bonds of obligation with members of sitting governments. They can elevate politicians through the ranks and ultimately dictate policy. If this happens with successive governments, democracy crumbles, silently.” (Page 280)

I already wrote a blog post in March about interviews given by Cooper, so I won’t reiterate it here, but I highly recommend that you read this book – not because it’s enjoyable, but because you care about what happens to Canada.

After I finished reading, I thought of remarks made by Bruce Pardy, professor of law at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, during a panel discussion for the MacDonald-Laurier Institute in July.

“We need to think about government differently. There’s a line from Adam Smith [Scottish moral philosopher and political economist (1723–1790)] that goes something like, ‘It is not from the generosity of the butcher and baker that we get our dinner, but from their regard for their self-interest.’

“We accept the concept that everybody acts in their own self-interest when they’re doing commercial things. But we forget that as soon as they’re in government, one of the reasons that foreign governments are succeeding in spreading influence is that our own people are acting in their own self-interest. But we are relying on their honour.

“That’s not the way it works. Everybody acts in their own self-interest. And for that reason, we should be suspicious of everyone who has power over us, because they are not acting for us, they are acting for themselves. I agree the government should be much more concerned about foreign interference, but they don’t seem to be. Why? Because they are benefitting from it – at least some of them are. That’s what the report said, and we don’t even know who they are.

“So if we can wrap our head around the idea that the people in power are going to act honorably and act in the best interest of the country – no, they don’t!

“We need a better system of government, so it’s not possible to dishonour the constitution. If it is possible to dishonour, it will be dishonoured.”

Therefore, my friends, I believe that the reality of corruption must be dragged into the light - and believed - as much as possible. It will require courage to face what has already happened, and what is currently happening. We must force our politicians to meet this issue head-on, and to change or add the laws that are necessary to kick the rats out of the kitchen.

To read more about Sam Cooper’s investigative journalism, check out The Bureau on Substack.