The two organizations suspected by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) of being clandestine “Chinese police stations” in Montreal and Brossard say they are surprised to see themselves targeted in this way. They claim to be ready to cooperate with Canadian authorities and maintain that they condemn any behavior that could amount to harassment and intimidation.
Last week, the RCMP publicly confirmed an investigation into the Chinese Family Service of Greater Montreal and the Sino-Quebec Center of the South Shore, two organizations identified by Le Journal de Montreal. The two bodies, which share the same leadership, are suspected by police of participating in a campaign of foreign interference to benefit the Chinese Communist Party regime.
“We are talking about pressure, veiled or not veiled threats. It even seems that there might be a climate of terror that reigns in the diaspora for some people. This is why during the investigation, we corroborate and, above all, we ask for the public’s help. We need the information of people who are under pressure, “said Sergeant Charles Poirier, spokesperson for the RCMP.
This public outing during the investigation, an extremely rare strategy for the federal police force, surprised the organizations targeted, according to their lawyer, Me Virginie Dufresne-Lemire.
“These two organizations wish to collaborate in this investigation while respecting the exercise of their fundamental rights. They condemn behaviors that amount to harassment and intimidation and invite anyone who is a victim to report these actions,” she said in a statement on Tuesday.
The leaders of the two groups did not wish to grant an interview, but they reiterated their confidence in their president, the municipal councilor of Brossard Xixi Li.
“We would like to reiterate the importance of the presumption of innocence. Thus, while the investigation is underway, we invite the public and the media to exercise caution and to be careful of amalgams, particularly in the context of the pandemic where the Chinese community has been strongly stigmatized. Concluding the guilt of these organizations in the current factual vacuum risks causing irreparable damage to these two organizations,” said Me Dufresne-Lemire.
Chinese Family Service of Greater Montreal and the Sino-Quebec Center of the South Shore are organizations whose official mission is to promote the well-being of the Chinese and Asian community in Quebec, and to participate in the integration of newcomers to Quebec society.
On the side of the RCMP, Sergeant Charles Poirier confirmed to La Presse that since the publication of the first articles on the investigation targeting the two organizations, the police have already received “15 serious reports” from members of the public concerning the acts which are under investigation.
“We are proceeding with the analysis stage of these reports, and we once again encourage all victims and witnesses of illegal activities, and all individuals who experience pressure, intimidation and threats to contact us. The RCMP reiterates once again that it will take all necessary means to counter foreign interference in Quebec and Canada,” the spokesperson said.
