Edmonton — Mayor Andrew Knack has drawn sharp criticism on social media and from fellow councillors, the public and other politicians after publicly condemning Edmonton Police Service Chief Warren Driechel’s recent visit to Israel, with some accusing him of applying inconsistent standards to international travel given his own trip to China earlier this year.
While China operates under the unchallenged dominance of the Communist Party with centralized control, no competitive national elections, and extensive suppression of dissent, Israel features regular multi-party elections, a vibrant opposition, freedom of the press and an independent judiciary – hallmarks of a liberal democracy.
In a statement posted to social media on Friday, Knack expressed deep disappointment over Driechel’s participation in a delegation organized by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, a professional network of police leaders across North America. The trip, which took place in February and was not funded by Edmonton taxpayers, involved meetings with Israeli policing officials.
Knack wrote that the visit came “at a time of rising Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian racism, anti-Semitism, and hate towards marginalized communities,” describing it as “harmful” and likely to further alienate community members. He noted that for many Edmontonians, the ongoing violence in the West Bank and Gaza, which he seemingly solely attributes to Israel, feels far from distant. Knack said he has asked the Edmonton Police Commission to review its travel policies.
The mayor’s comments sparked immediate backlash, with critics on platforms like X accusing him of hypocrisy. They pointed to Knack’s own January trip to China, to attend the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. The visit, which Knack described as one of the “most spectacular experiences”, was funded by the Communist Chinese government and Edmonton taxpayers. It occurred amid ongoing winter road-clearing inabilities in Edmonton following heavy December snowfall, fueling earlier calls for his resignation over perceived leadership failures on local infrastructure.
Councillor Michael Elliott, a former Edmonton Police Service staff sergeant, quickly defended the chief’s trip. In a statement, he argued that in a diverse city like Edmonton—where global conflicts increasingly spill into local demonstrations and tensions—it is reasonable for police leadership to study how other jurisdictions handle such challenges. Elliott highlighted what he called an “inconsistency in how international engagement is judged,” noting that municipal leaders frequently travel abroad to countries with significant human rights concerns but face far less, if any, scrutiny.
The controversy unfolds against a broader backdrop of foreign interference concerns in Canada. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has repeatedly identified the Chinese Communist Party as a major threat to Canada, citing documented interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, influence operations targeting politicians, espionage, and transnational repression. According to reports based on leaked CSIS documents, China’s interference in these elections was aimed at supporting the Liberal Party, particularly to ensure a Liberal minority government, while working to defeat Conservative candidates perceived as hostile to Beijing’s interests. This involved tactics such as disinformation campaigns, undeclared donations, and influencing candidate nominations in key ridings, with a focus on candidates favorable to China – predominantly Liberals. Both 2019 and 2021 federal elections in Canada resulted in Liberal minority governments. Beijing’s human rights record—including mass detention and alleged genocide against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, suppression in Hong Kong, cultural policies in Tibet, and military assertiveness in the South China Sea and toward Taiwan—has drawn intense international condemnation.
Many have pointed out that in just months, Knack has mastered the art of double standards—condemning one foreign jaunt (taken at zero taxpayer expense) while whitewashing another by him (funded by the Chinese Communist government and Edmonton taxpayers) to a regime flagged by CSIS as Canada’s top foreign interference threat.
This, according to many online observers, marks a second major misstep of Knack’s leadership and has renewed calls for Knack’s resignation – and further investigation into Knack’s China jaunt.
