September 14, 2024
LaSalle–Émard–Verdun September 16 Federal By-Election
Citizens and Independent Candidates
Voice Peoples’ Desire for Change
• Citizens’ Profound Desire for Change
• “Stand Up, Speak Out!” Says Independent Candidate Tina Jiu Ru Zhu
• Vicious Inflammatory Media Coverage Against Chinese Candidate and Chinese Community
For Your Information
• Chinese Community Organizations in Montreal Sue Royal Canadian Mounted Police for Defamation
Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Elections and Democratic Institutions
• Submission by Tina Jiu Ru Zhu, July 23, 2024
LaSalle–Émard–Verdun September 16 Federal By-Election
Citizens’ Profound Desire for Change
Speaking to citizens and residents of the LaSalle‐Émard‐Verdun (LEV) constituency where a federal by-election is being held on September 16, it is clear they want the questions of the direction of the economy and the country, its sovereignty, questions of war and peace and all related matters dealt with in a manner which favours the people of this country and the peoples of the world.
The Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada finds that what bothers the people the most is the party system which keeps them marginalized so that they cannot control the decisions which affect their lives. The cartel parties do not directly organize the people politically but voters are supposed to choose a political party to form a government, with which they either have no connection or know virtually nothing about.
The idea is spread by establishment forces that by casting a vote for this or that cartel party candidate, the citizens are holding these governments to account. The premise is that these governments are responsible to the electorate. Of course, this is not true. But, nonetheless, citizens are to believe that if they are displeased with the party in power they can chasten it by making sure it receives a lower percentage of the vote, or they can vote this government out and vote another party in. Voters are told their role is to hold governments to their promises even though everyone knows the promises are a fraud to win votes and that once a cartel party usurps power, it does whatever it wants and accepts no responsibility for its lies.
It is unreasonable to expect citizens to vote for those beholden to marketing agencies who change their narrative as they go along, shielded by the electoral process which gives no role to the members of the polity except to vote.
People see an election as the one and only time they can participate in taking a decision on who to vote for. The party system reduces their participation in politics to that of spectators and voting cattle.
For this reason, the MLPC calls on citizens of LEV to vote for its candidate Normand Chouinard or for an independent candidate as an expression of their opposition to the first-past-the post method of counting votes which brings to power cartel parties over which the citizens exercise no control.
“Stand Up, Speak Out!” Says Independent Candidate Tina Jiu Ru Zhu
The following is from an exchange with Tina Jiu Ru Zhu, who is running as an independent candidate in the federal by-election in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun. Tina is of Chinese origin and has lived in Canada since 1998. She has a master’s degree in applied computer science, is a real estate agent and runs a decoration store in the riding. She is very active in her community against discrimination, racism and injustice. She sums up her platform as follows: “Vote for Tina, for a better Canada, for people, peace and prosperity.”
Tina decided to run as a candidate against the backdrop of the most vile anti-China propaganda being spewed by the Canadian government, which is causing anxiety, insecurity and fear in her community. She decided to run, she says, to encourage her peers to participate in political life, particularly among the younger generation, and to make their voices heard. “Many people don’t vote because they don’t feel involved. Yet the Chinese community has lived in Canada since the 19th century. We’ve always worked hard, built the railroad in 1885 that crossed Canada from east to west under extremely difficult conditions, endured the racist $500 head tax imposed on the Chinese in 1903 by the Canadian government with the Chinese Immigration Act, and many other things, and we’re everywhere in Canada. At the same time, we’re not the only ones,” she says. “Canada is made up of people from every country in the world.”
“It’s difficult for Chinese Canadians to get involved in politics,” she continued. “You have to understand the culture, use the language well, use social media platforms to campaign and mobilize the participation of Chinese Canadians. All this is a challenge, and for independent candidates, it’s even more difficult. But I have a good team of volunteers. We distribute my program, go door-to-door, have good discussions with voters. We talk to people about the deteriorating conditions of housing and social services, the economy, Canadian foreign policy and all the issues that concern us.
“In Verdun and elsewhere, I see more and more homeless people on the streets, there is more crime, conflict and theft, and I sense anxiety among people. The prejudicial targeting of the Chinese community has worsened, making an already quiet community even quieter. The deterioration of Canada-China relations and accusations of foreign interference affect us all. I decided to stand up and speak out at a time when people are questioning the democratic system. What is being said about Chinese foreign interference in Canada is unfounded. Accusations are being made without proof. The allegations are gratuitous, self-serving, fear-mongering and racist. This has consequences in our lives and sows doubt in our working relationships and in our neighborhoods. Today, it’s Chinese Canadians who are targeted, but tomorrow it will be other communities, other groups, and that’s what we need to understand. This is one of the reasons why, in 2021, I founded the Canada-China Association for the Promotion of Friendship. It’s important to promote friendship between peoples, to get to know each other, to exchange.”
Vicious Inflammatory Media Coverage
Against Chinese Candidate and Chinese Community
On September 10, the Journal de Montréal published a vicious inflammatory article which attacks, casts doubt and incites hatred against independent candidate Tina Jiu Ru Zhu, who is running in the federal by-election in LaSalle–Émard–Verdun (LEV).[1]
Headlined “Elle nie être une agente chinoise: une militante pro-Pékin veut être député à Montréal” (“She denies being a Chinese agent: a pro-Beijing activist in Montreal wants to be a Member of Parliament”), the article is a sorry example of gutter journalism, full of weasel words, defamatory insinuations, unfounded accusations and prejudice.
The TV news outlet TVA simultaneously ran an equally damaging story about the candidate and Montreal’s Chinese community. Canada’s former ambassador to China lent his name and prestige to the horrendous endeavour to incite sinophobia in general and attack a women who is exercising her democratic Charter-protected right to present herself for election and speak freely to present her views.
The author of the Journal de Montréal article, a former Mayor of Trois-Rivières and former candidate of the Conservative Party, is known for his incitement of racism. He regularly brings great dishonour to the profession of journalism by taking up the worst form of gutter press initiated by the Hearst newspaper empire to fabricate sensationalist accounts and make accusations to discredit someone or some country without presenting a shred of evidence. Such accusations on the part of the Hearst newspaper empire even led to wars against Cuba and Vietnam. Nothing about this coverage is in the least informative. It is a vicious attack on an individual using slander, rumour and innuendo and all but calling for her to be investigated by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service based on the accusations of the paper and the writer that what she is doing and saying can only mean that she is an agent of a foreign power.
The article contains not a word about the candidate’s platform. Not a word about the problems the Chinese community in Montreal faces due to incitement of sinophobia. Not a word about the problems Canadians of Chinese origin face when they actively participate in the country’s affairs as an integral part of the Quebec nation and Canadian polity. Not a mention about the difficulties Canadians of Chinese origin face as targets of the foreign interference agenda being pursued by the Canadian government at the instigation of the so-called five eyes intelligence agencies, the U.S. and its aggressive NATO military alliance.
So far, despite media leaks of documents alleging dangers posed by China and its supposed interference in Canada’s elections and the holding of one inquiry after another, no facts have been presented! The article reports that the cartel parties in the Parliament together have proposed a law to create a registry for foreign agents but says nothing about the profound opposition this proposal has generated and the dangers posed by sinophobia throughout Canada’s history.[2]
Such gutter journalism has become the norm in Montreal and Canada which is cause for alarm amongst all democratic-minded Canadians.
Nearly 2 million people of Chinese descent in Canada, over 80,000 living in Quebec, are today subjected to this dehumanizing sinophobia causing people to fear for their lives. As they walk in the street and go about their daily lives they fear that attacks are incited against them. The fact that in this context of insecurity and in opposition to it Mme Zhu had the courage to use the democratic platform offered by an election campaign to present her views is even presented as shady, as some sort of proof that she is a Chinese agent. The fact that she and others who want to have friendly relations with China have created an association to promote friendship between Canada and China to develop solidarity, friendly ties and exchange information about one another is considered suspect.
All of this is led by the political police in Quebec and Canada to serve a U.S. agenda. The creation of fear in a community that has been part of building this country since it was established and has been forced to overcome one piece of racist legislation after another designed to “Keep Canada White,” is contemptible.
Cartel parties and their governments scramble to promote the accusations launched by the political police about foreign interference in Canada to prove their loyalty to Canadian values and democracy lest they themselves become victims of the insinuations and defamation. Such things have become the norm in Canada because the system is crisis-ridden, seen in the extent to which it has espoused a form of autocratic authoritarian rule.
The federal government’s Bill 70, An Act respecting countering Foreign Interference, not only proposes to create a registry of foreign agents but also expands the scope of Canada’s spy agencies and their interference to curtail Canadians’ right to speak and organize.[3] World War II clearly established that racists have no right to speak or organize and that state-organized racist attacks must be opposed. Canadians have always risen to oppose all attempts to sow divisions and impose labels on anyone who stands up to speak to encourage discussion in the public space on issues facing the people.
Our Security Lies in the Fight for the Rights of All!
All Out to Oppose Sinophobia and State-Organized Racist Attacks Against National Minority Communities, Migrant Workers and Refugees!
Oppose Despicable Attempt to Discredit Candidate Tina Jiu Ru Zhu, Who Is Running in the September 16 Federal By-Election in LaSalle–Émard–Verdun!
No to Attempts to Silence Political Opinion! Not in Our Name!
Notes
1. “She denies being a Chinese agent: a pro-Beijing activist wants to be an MP in Montreal,” Journal de Montréal, September 10, 2024.
2. “Fearmongering About ‘Chinese Police Stations,'” TML Monthly, November 2023.
3. “Egregious Abuse of Parliament to Make Rule by Police Powers the New Normal,” TML Monthly, June 2024.
For Your Information
Chinese Community Organizations in Montreal Sue
Royal Canadian Mounted Police for Defamation
Two long-standing Montreal-area community organizations that serve the Chinese-speaking community filed a defamation lawsuit against the RCMP for its scurrilous accusations against them. On March 8, Chinese Family Services of Greater Montreal, the Centre Sino-Quebec de la Rive-Sud, and their executive director Xixi Li reiterated that the RCMP did not properly investigate before publicly accusing them of hosting so-called overseas police stations on behalf of the People’s Republic of China. The defamation suit seeks more than $4.9 million in damages.
The Centre Sino-Quebec de la Rive-Sud is located in Brossard and its executive director Li is a Brossard city councillor. She and the organization are also suing Brossard Mayor Doreen Assaad over Facebook posts related to the RCMP allegations.
The attacks on the Chinese community in Montreal and their organizations have been ongoing since RCMP accusations were made public on March 9, 2023, for which no evidence has ever been provided. The Progressive Chinese of Quebec responded with a public statement on March 14, 2023 which questioned why the RCMP had publicly named the organizations as targets of an investigation, an action which “has had devastating effects on the community.” They pointed out, “The survival of long-standing community organizations that have a record of exemplary service to the Chinese-speaking community in Montreal and the South Shore, integrating new immigrants, organizing activities to fight against the isolation of seniors, providing support and referrals for victims of conjugal violence, offering French language classes and alleviating poverty, is now at risk.” The statement also points out that the rights of voters who elected Li to the Brossard municipal council were violated when Li was forced by the mayor to suspend her participation in city council meetings as a result of the RCMP allegations.
In a statement issued at the end of November last year, the Coalition to Save Chinese Quebec Institutions pointed out that as a result of the RCMP allegations, funding has been cut by the federal and Quebec governments. The result has been the end of services such as French language classes in Chinatown, employment services for new immigrants, youth and seniors programs and post-COVID recovery grants as well as the layoff of many workers at the centres.
Canadian state attacks on the Chinese community have a long history. The RCMP allegations came 100 years after the passing of the infamous racist Chinese Exclusion Act by the Canadian government in 1923. The community point out that “what is happening now is another Chinese Exclusion, through a series of actions that are excluding Chinese Canadians from exercising their right to speak, to a presumption of innocence, to benefit from services provided by their own culturally and linguistically accessible institutions, and even from participating in public political activities.”
Several other parties are also suing the RCMP and Canada’s secret police, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) for similar reasons.
On April 3, RCMP officer and vice-president of the National Police Federation Peter Merrifield and retired Vancouver police detective Paul MacNamara filed suit against the government, alleging that it “pursued a politically motivated agenda designed to show that it was taking a hard line on foreign interference from China.”
They wrote in their suit, “Rather than examining and verifying actual information, CSIS simply made incomplete, inaccurate, misleading and false assertions about the Plaintiffs, and provided them to the Plaintiffs’ employers, knowing full well the harm that would follow.”
After leaving policing, McNamara took up work running security at U.S. consulates in Canada, until a routine security clearance came back denied. McNamara states that his clearance was pulled in 2021 “as a result of a CSIS report.” Merrifield says the RCMP told him his clearance was suspended for “cause” based on CSIS allegations. Merrifield and McNamara are seeking at least $5.5 million in damages, according to the lawsuit.
In April 2023, Independent MP Han Dong filed suit for $15 million in damages against Global News. Earlier that year, Global published a story alleging Dong advised a senior Chinese diplomat in February 2021 that Beijing should hold off on freeing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, the two Canadians being held by China at the time for committing espionage. The story quotes two anonymous national security sources who alleged that Dong told Han Tao, China’s Consul General in Toronto, that releasing the men would benefit the Conservatives. The story also cited anonymous sources who alleged national security officials gave an urgent briefing to senior aides from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office in 2019 “warning them that one of their candidates was part of a Chinese foreign interference network.”
The statement of claim says that both articles are “false and defamatory” and that Global acted “irresponsibly” in its reporting. “These allegations were made by anonymous sources whose credibility and reliability were assumed, rather than vigorously tested,” the statement reads. It also says Global failed to provide enough context about the sources’ jobs or seniority. “The defendants […] have maliciously destroyed Han Dong’s hard-earned reputation and career and have exposed Dong and his family to a campaign of hateful messages and threats,” the statement of claim adds. Dong has also asked that the articles and associated broadcasts be retracted and removed from Global‘s website.
In May 2023, Former Ontario cabinet minister Michael Chan, now deputy mayor of Markham, filed suit against CSIS, the government and reporters from the Globe and Mail and Global News over leaks of information about him. Chan said the stories inaccurately implicated him in allegations of election interference and he is seeking a total of $10 million in damages.
Anti-Communist Anti-China Disinformation
The baseless accusations made by Canada’s state police against the two Chinese community organizations have not come about in a vacuum. They coincide with Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, launched in November 2022, to shift trade and other relations away from China toward India and Southeast Asia. This in turn is an expression of U.S./NATO antagonistic policy toward China, because China does not come under U.S. dictate and thus is a block to U.S. hegemonic aims in Asia.
The RCMP accusations follow a September 2022 report from a U.S.-backed “human rights” organization called Safeguard Defenders that claimed there are 54 so-called overseas Chinese police stations. It claimed that in Canada there are three in Toronto. No mention is made of Montreal. A follow-up report in December 2022 claimed that 48 more such stations had been located for a total of 102. This report said that there were four known such operations in Canada: one in Vancouver at an unknown location, and three in Toronto whose locations were said to be known. Safeguard Defenders says that the “police stations” are part of a “campaign to combat the growing issue of fraud and telecommunication fraud by Chinese nationals living abroad” and linking this to “expansion of other forms of long-arm policing and transnational repression” by China. Notably, neither of these make any mention of interference in elections.
Far from being clandestine operations, Chinese media regularly report on their efforts to curb telecom fraud, including fraudulent activities of Chinese nationals living outside of China.
The second Safeguard Defenders’ report on “overseas Chinese police stations” cites the website of the Overseas Chinese Office of the State Council, which says that in 2014 it “supported overseas Chinese groups to set up ‘Chinese service centres’ in cities where overseas Chinese live, providing basic services such as emergency relief, integration training, legal aid, and poverty alleviation.” The addresses for these service centres are publicly listed.
Safeguard Defender then calls on local law enforcement authorities to see if there is overlap between the alleged “overseas Chinese police stations” and “Chinese service centres.” There is no such overlap in the case of the operations of the Chinese community organizations in Montreal which are facing the baseless accusations of the RCMP. Moreover, there is nothing unusual about such offices. Governments of other countries have centres that operate on a similar basis to provide their citizens living in Canada with services and assistance they require. For example, the Italian government has its Patronato offices.
Looking at things chronologically, the RCMP accusations arose only after Safeguard Defenders published its reports of so-called overseas Chinese police stations, even though the RCMP accusations cannot even be substantiated by the anti-China anti-communist insinuations of Safeguard Defenders.
A June 16, 2023 article by Kit Klarenberg, published by Mintpress News, reports on investigations in the U.S. and UK into these “overseas Chinese police stations” that seem to be indicative of the paradigm being followed by the RCMP. These investigations essentially came up empty. Klarenberg, says of an April 2023 raid on a Chinese community organization in New York City, “[W]hile an official press release on the raid repeatedly referred to the ‘clandestine’ nature of the ‘secret police station,’ in reality, it was openly and widely advertised as somewhere Chinese citizens in New York City could conveniently access administrative services remotely. Meanwhile, the indictment’s details make clear the only state apparatchiks with which the pair were in contact belonged to the Chinese Ministry of Public Security’s Traffic Management Center.”
He adds that in the UK on June 6, 2023, “Security Minister Tom Tugendhat announced the results of police probes into three separate alleged [Communist Party of China] security outposts in London and Scotland: ‘Police have visited each of the locations … and carefully looked into these allegations to consider whether any laws have been broken and whether any further action should be taken. I can confirm that [police] have not, to date, identified any evidence of illegal activity on behalf of the Chinese state across these sites.'”
Safeguard Defenders is hardly a neutral entity. British researcher Keith Lamb, in an April 2021 op-ed for Chinese news channel CGTN points out:
“The financing of Safeguard Defenders is not apparent but in its previous incarnation as the Chinese Urgent Action Working Group (CUAWG) it received funds from the EU and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) which is an organization set up to fund groups conducive to Washington’s regime change priorities. The fact that Safeguard Defenders is primarily focused on China and Vietnam also fits in with the regime change priorities of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VCMF).”
Lamb adds that a recent article by Peter Dahlin, a co-founder of Safeguard Defenders and the CUAWG, “about Chinese leadership ‘incompetence’ and China’s ‘nightmare world vision’ further shows him as someone with an outright anti-China agenda. Incompetence when looking at China’s spectacular development, its actions against COVID-19, and its poverty alleviation is clearly not a suitable noun. Similarly, China’s vision for the world as one of multipolarity and global development, which leads to greater global democracy, raises global living standards, and precludes hegemonic invasions based on spurious human rights claims, is certainly not nightmarish.
[…]
“The fundamental problem with Safeguard Defenders is this: In China, as with any country, there are grievances, injustices, and human rights can always be improved. However, to use these problems, backed by foreign capital, for the purpose of bringing down China amounts to Western imperialism disguised as charity.
“This sort of ‘well-meaning charity’ has killed millions of Muslims in the U.S. war against terror. This Western ‘help’ has led to communist states like Cuba being cut off from world trade and Vietnam being mercilessly invaded. In contrast, a ‘repressive’ state like China has lifted millions of people out of poverty, and its ‘nightmare world vision’ is to raise up the rest of the global south too.”
Thus, all indications are that the RCMP’s accusations against the Chinese community organizations in Montreal are a politically motivated anti-China anti-communist witch hunt, that far from protecting Canadians, undermine their security and violate their right to be considered innocent until proven guilty.
Canadians and Quebeckers will not stand for another repeat of the Canadian state’s persecution of Chinese Canadians or other national minorities and their organizations, nor do they agree that Canada’s foreign policy should be dictated by the U.S. or supranational bodies like NATO, whose self-serving aims are opposed to the rule of international law and upholding international peace.
Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Elections
and Democratic Institutions
Submission by Tina Jiu Ru Zhu, July 23, 2024
[I] Thank the PIFI [Public inquiry Into Foreign Interference] Committee for allowing the public to submit statements. I also appreciate the committee’s consideration in allowing statements to be made in one’s native language. Given the importance and complexity of discussing foreign interference in federal elections and democratic institutions, I have decided to make my statement in my native language.
My name is Jiu Ru Zhu, also known as Tina Zhu in English. I was born in China and immigrated to Canada from Europe in 1998 as a skilled worker, holding a master’s degree in Applied Computer Science. After arriving in Canada, I worked hard to integrate into the new environment. Since becoming a citizen in 2002, I have actively participated in Canada’s democratic processes, volunteering in elections at all three levels of government. My three children were all born in Canada and are now starting their own lives. Creating a fair and just social environment is a responsibility of every citizen and it has been a driving force behind my actions.
I am the founder and current president of the Canada-China Friendship Promotion Association (CCFPA), a non-profit organization (NPO) officially registered in Quebec with no political or partisan affiliations. The mission of the CCFPA is to enhance democra[tic] participation among Chinese Canadians, promote multicultural development in Canada, strengthen civil exchanges between Canada and China, and foster friendship between the two nations. We emphasize the promotion of multiculturalism, as evidenced by our dragon boat team comprising members from different ethnic backgrounds, our choir performing diverse songs and dances in local nursing homes, our essay competitions open to all ethnic groups, and our community-integrated cultural activities like “Flowers of May.” As a member of the Mouvement québécois pour la paix, I believe that promoting harmony and peace in Canadian society is my fundamental social responsibility.
I fully support the Canadian government’s active investigation into foreign government interference in Canadian elections and the implementation of corresponding effective measures. However, over the years, I have also felt that widespread suspicion has led to a trust crisis within the Chinese community, which has been shrouded in conspiracy theories, with certain individuals and organizations being specifically targeted. I am one such victim. Therefore, I suggest that the government, media, and relevant institutions distinguish between true and false information while conducting investigations, seeking truth from facts, and avoiding overgeneralization. Otherwise, it would stigmatize the Chinese community and cause unnecessary harm to innocent people.
Detailed Account of My Related Experiences
I appeared in [the] Wang Yuesheng case court hearing and [was] profiled by Senator Leo Housakos, leading to severe damage to my reputation, business, and mental health:
On November 14, 2022, I saw on the news that Hydro-Québec employee Wang Yuesheng was taken from his home in Candiac by the RCMP and charged with four counts. The major media outlets portrayed him as a “Chinese spy stealing for China’s benefit.” Like other Chinese Canadians, my first reaction was shock. I wanted to understand the full picture – what exactly happened? With these questions in mind, I decided to attend the public hearing on the 15th.
At the hearing on the 15th, many media were present. They interviewed some attendees, including me. I said, “Ce genre de chose affecte vraiment la relation entre les deux pays,” (This kind of thing will definitely affect China-Canada relations) and expressed that if this case was similar to the Meng Wanzhou incident, we would support Wang Yuesheng just as we supported Meng Wanzhou because I believe no individual should be sacrificed for political circumstances.
On the morning of November 26, 2022 I received an email from The Epoch Times,
“Hi there,
“We’d like to ask for your comment in relation to Sen. Leo Housakos’ question about CCFPA President Ms. Tina Zhu’s attendance of alleged spy Mr. Yuesheng Wang, a former Hydro Quebec employee. Housakos said the CCFPA’s work office is not known to the government, what is your thoughts about that. Please explain why your office address, at 6245 Boulevard Monk, Montréal, QC H4E 3H8, appears to be a store unrelated to your group.
“Mr. Housakos called for the creation of a foreign registry through Bill S-237, which he said could identify whether Ms. Zhu is working on behalf of Beijing. Do you have any comment on this? We would appreciate a response before our deadline at 10 a.m. ET on Nov. 26.
“Thank you.”
Since I saw the email on the 27th Nov., 2022, I urgently replied at 4:00 AM on the 27th:
“Hello there,
“I am sorry to reply to you late as I just read your email.
“I did not know this question, may you please send me the resources? Thank you .
“We all care about the truth? Do[n’t] we?”
On November 27, 9:00 AM, The Epoch Times replied:
“Hi, thanks for your reply.
Here is what Sen. Housakos said: click to view.
“See my questions below. Or do you have any other comment?”
I opened the link sent by The Epoch Times and heard Mr. Leo Housakos, in order to promote his Bill S-237 (establishing a foreign registry), distort my basic right as a citizen to attend the hearing, insinuating that I was an agent for China and working for China. This made me feel extremely shocked and disappointed in the senator’s disrespect (or even discrimination) towards minority immigrants. The hearing was open to the public, welcoming citizens to attend. Why would my attendance and desire to know more about the facts be criticized by this senator as possibly working for China? Is his S-237 proposal specifically targeting immigrants? Is it based on distrust of minority immigrants?
As for why CCFPA’s registered address is a company’s address – the reason is simple. Our organization has limited funds, so we use a company’s address to save money. This is common in Canada. Many NPOs in Canada do not have their own exclusive office spaces. Why would such a common situation be questioned by Mr. Housakos?
On Senator Housakos’ Twitter, he wrote: “Chinese espionage at Canada’s largest power utility is yet another incident of interference by Beijing in Canada’s democracy, and is yet another example of why a foreign influence registry as called for in my Bill #S237 is so necessary.”
Before Wang Yuesheng’s case was defined by the court, this senator already labelled it as another incident of Beijing’s interference. Such lawless and illogical remarks can have terrible consequences and are a reflection of conspiracy theories targeting the Chinese community.
Meanwhile, the senator’s baseless accusations against me caused great harm. Following Mr. Housakos’ tweets and media reports, I received harassing calls, threatening emails, and increased rumours about me on social media, causing significant damage to my reputation. My business suffered greatly, with customers labelling me as a CCP [Chinese Communist Party] spy, hanging up on my calls, or explicitly stating they would no longer work with me. My mental health took a hit, and I felt depressed for a while. With the help and support of family and friends, I am gradually recovering, but my business is hard to restore because many people who don’t know the truth no longer trust me.
Because of such personal experiences, I have felt the insignificance and despair of an individual when facing slander and defamation by officials and the media. This has also made me realize the importance and necessity for the public to know the truth.
RCMP’s Investigation into Two Chinese Community Centres in Quebec as “Secret Chinese Police Stations” Severely Undermines Canadian Democracy and Rule of Law, Causing Fear Among Chinese Canadians
In March 2023, the RCMP accused the Chinese Family Service of Greater Montreal and the Sino-Quebec Centre of being proxy agencies for Chinese police stations in Quebec. Without any evidence, the RCMP leaked this information to the media. As a result, these two centres were quickly portrayed as secret Chinese police stations in major media headlines. Many people who needed services from these centres were too afraid to visit, causing significant disruptions to their lives. The staff at these centres were left in a state of panic and confusion. The centres could no longer receive government funding, leading to financial difficulties.
On March 9, 2023, several community organizations, including the CCFPA, gathered in Montreal’s Sun Yat-sen Park to express support for the two service centres.
In a public statement by the Canadian Constitution Defenders supporting the Chinese service centres, it was written:
“On March 9, 2023, media reported that the RCMP was investigating two Chinese community centres in Montreal – the Chinese Family Service of Greater Montreal and the Sino-Quebec Centre – believing they might be ‘Chinese police stations.’ We, a group of Chinese Canadians living in Montreal, welcome investigations into potential foreign agents. However, before any clear conclusions and solid evidence from the investigation, the media reports and the RCMP’s statements have already severely impacted our community, leading to incidents of racial discrimination against Chinese Canadians.
“The media, without knowing the truth, spread misinformation. For example, the Montreal Gazette reported: ‘The RCMP said Chinese Canadians are victims of the possible activities of these centres.’ However, we are Chinese Canadians, and our experiences contradict this statement. Based on our years of personal experience, these two centres are neither proxies for Chinese police stations nor secret Chinese police stations, and we have never felt victimized by these centres. On the contrary, these centres have greatly benefited our community. For decades, these two centres have made significant contributions to our community. Because of their contributions, Xixi Li received voter support and was elected as a Brossard City Councillor. We have never felt intimidated, harassed, targeted, or harmed by these centres.
“It is reported that the allegations about the possible establishment of Chinese police stations originated from a foreign organization in Spain called Safeguard Defenders. How did a foreign organization make such allegations? Does this foreign organization regularly collect information on Canadian citizens? Is this organization conducting espionage activities against Canadian citizens? Should the RCMP investigate and verify the claims made by Safeguard Defenders first? To date, as far as we know, the RCMP has never contacted these two centres to verify the foreign organization’s allegations. This makes the Chinese community in Quebec feel the terror of ‘McCarthyism.’
“To this day, we have not seen any evidence from the RCMP to support their allegations of so-called secret Chinese police stations against these two centres. Meanwhile, all media reports about Chinese police stations are based on speculation, assumptions, and misinterpretations of facts, without providing any evidence.
“Whether it is the RCMP’s allegations or these media reports, the end result is defamation of the Chinese Canadian community. Without verification, these allegations manipulate public perception, causing Brossard City Council leaders to advise Xixi Li to cease her normal duties as a councillor. In short, a foreign organization successfully undermined our Canadian democratic system, stripping a duly elected city councillor of her right to participate in council activities.
“So, can this ‘Chinese police station agents/secret Chinese police’ farce be seen as a premeditated act of racial discrimination against Chinese Canadians? Similar situations have occurred in history. Under Hitler’s regime in Germany, there was a conspiracy theory of Jewish Bolshevism, claiming that Jews were a threat to national security because of their connections with communist Russia. If we replace Jews with Chinese and Russia with China, the essence of these two conspiracy theories is the same.
“The RCMP is investigating possible Chinese police stations. It is reported that it has not obtained a search warrant from the court. This means the RCMP cannot verify the allegations made by a foreign organization. We do not know whether this allegation is true or false. However, public fear has already ignited the anger of Canadians.
“It is reported that the RCMP has received 15 leads. Should the RCMP communicate with the two centres to verify whether these 15 leads have any factual basis or are merely rumours? Why do we have a secret system for reporting Canadian citizens? Is this a democratic society?
“Based on our experiences, we are not victims of these two service centres but rather victims of the Chinese police station conspiracy theory propaganda. The RCMP’s investigation into the ‘secret Chinese police’ at these two centres is not protecting Canadians from foreign interference but rather facilitating foreign influence to undermine our Canadian democracy. We are concerned that selective and biased law enforcement will abuse our judicial system, desecrate our rule of law, and potentially turn our judicial system into a tool for racial discrimination. We urge the RCMP to uphold our Canadian values of the rule of law and apply the law without discrimination.”
Attacked Again for Helping the Chinese Community Against Slander
2023 marked the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act, and the events affecting the Chinese community this year have filled me with deep concern and subtle fear. At a rally, I expressed my heartfelt question: “What makes me afraid again on the centenary of the Chinese Exclusion Act?” Society is becoming divided, with suspicion and hostility towards the Chinese community, making us feel scared.
Amid this subtle fear, my instinct for self-protection led me to re-analyze these events: “Chinese spies,” “Chinese police stations,” and “Chinese interference in Canadian elections,” followed by the targeted “Foreign Influence Registry Act.”
In response to this targeted “Foreign Influence Registry Act,” Chinese Canadians and other ethnic groups from different provinces across Canada initiated the “E-4395 Petition”(1) in April 2023.
To raise awareness about this petition, the CCFPA formed a volunteer team named “Montreal in Action” to promote it and collect signatures in Chinatown. Hundreds of signed documents were ultimately sent to Ottawa by registered mail, with the postage paid by my family. Unexpectedly, this postage fee was maliciously interpreted by some as a transaction with the volunteers. The volunteers willingly promoted E-4395. Under the scorching summer sun, they repeatedly explained the petition. If not for their pursuit of fairness and justice, they could have easily chosen not to participate.
This defamatory post about me was viewed by 46.4K people on Twitter, which can give an idea of the harm it caused me. The poster is closely connected with Conservative Senator Leo Housakos and former chief investigative reporter for Global News, Sam Cooper.
The poster also spread a lot of false and fabricated information about me and the association. In 2023, to learn from history and avoid repeating mistakes, CCFPA held the second essay contest titled “I Remember” to commemorate and reflect on the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act. This event had nothing to do with the Chinese consulate, but the poster claimed it was “along with” the consulate. What are her intentions? This poster has also been monitoring and stalking me, which makes me feel fearful.
Summary
When I sought the truth for the sake of Canada-China friendship, I was unfairly labeled as a Chinese agent. When I defended the rights of Chinese Canadians against discrimination, I was smeared as having connections with the Chinese consulate. When I exercised my civic duty by participating in Canadian democratic affairs, I was accused of working for China. These actions undermine the core values of fairness and freedom of speech in Canadian society.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states that diversity, inclusiveness, and human rights are fundamental values of Canada. The fight against racism and discrimination is a universal cause that transcends borders and governments. If the legitimate efforts of Chinese Canadians to fight for equal rights and defend their lawful interests are similar to the claims of the Chinese government, does that mean all ethnic groups striving for equal rights and defending their lawful interests in Canada are agents of China?
Furthermore, the rule of law is the foundation of Canada. Before being proven guilty, everyone is presumed innocent. Any allegations of foreign influence must be supported by solid and concrete evidence and be subjected to thorough and impartial investigation. This approach not only protects the rights of the accused but also reinforces the integrity of our democratic institutions.
The core of our democratic system is respect for freedom of speech. Even those with differing opinions should be respected. This respect is essential for ensuring a vibrant and diverse public discourse space.
We must be vigilant against the dangers of misinformation and disinformation as they can distort public perception and undermine trust in our democratic processes. By ensuring that allegations undergo rigorous scrutiny and are supported by reliable evidence, we can protect the fundamental values of democracy and maintain public confidence in our institutions.
Finally, I urge the Committee on Foreign Interference to prioritize democratic principles, freedom of speech, and the rule of law in its deliberations. Let us ensure justice through meticulous and evidence-based investigations, thereby preserving the democratic fabric of our society.
To view petition click here.
Jiu Ru Zhu
July 23, 2024
Montreal, Canada
(Edited slightly by TML for style and grammar.)
Respect Democratic Rights of Chinese Canadians and Oppose Modern Day Exclusion — Open Letter from Members of the Chinese Community
Canada’s 1885 Royal Commission on Chinese Immigration did not end well for the Chinese. It resulted in four Chinese Immigration Acts. The last one was the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act. In 2023, there were demands for a public inquiry on Chinese interference and influence, and a foreign agent registry. There is a direct connection between current events to those of a hundred years ago.
Despite the innocuous title of the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference, Canadians see the inquest spotlight aimed at the Chinese Canadian community. Some in our community are concerned that the positioning of the government and all the political parties as attacks on our democratic rights to participate in the electoral process and to vote for whomever we wish without raising suspicions of being influenced by a foreign power. Once again, we have a fear of being excluded and deprived of our democratic rights.
Under this cloud of suspicion over the Chinese diaspora, our community institutions are being targeted for alleged Chinese “police stations.” Community organizations such as the Chinese Family Service of Greater Montreal, which has served the Chinese Quebecois for 50 years, are stigmatized, investigated and excluded from receiving government funding. It is in danger of being closed due the lack of funds. Chinese Canadian scientists, e.g., Yentai Gan and Qing Quentin Huang, have been charged for spying for China. No conviction has been obtained since no evidence was presented before the courts, and the cases have been stayed after many years of investigation. Similarly, no evidence has been provided to prove that the Chinese Family Service is a Chinese “police station.”
A hundred years after the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act, Chinese Canadians are still fighting for the democratic rights of free political expression and participation; to run for office; and to vote for whomever they wish without facing accusations of foreign interference and influence. Chinese Canadians have the right to be proud of their history in this country, and their contributions to Canada, with a safe and unambiguous sense of belonging. They should also have the ability to acknowledge the present-day accomplishments of their ancestral homeland without provoking the trope of “foreign interference.”
We, the undersigned, endorse the attached open letter, “Citizens of Chinese Origin — we are all Canadian,” submitted by Jimmy Chan of the Chin Win Ching Ton Family Association on behalf of 49 co-signatories, and published in La Presse, April 28, 2023.
To view list of signatories click here.
To view 2023 Letter from Chinese-Canadian Community to La Presse click here.
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