Chinese Montreals say that they have many questions left after RCMP closed the investigation of two public centers suspected that they act as secret police sites for Chinese Communist Party.
The executive director of two non -profit organizations in Montreal says that she is “very happy” that the investigation has come to an end. But the XIXI LI says that she still wants to know why the investigation happened first, adding that she learned only about the launch of the media probe.
“We don’t know why this happened, no one who informed us,” she said, adding that RCMP officers interviewed some members of the centers, but never talked with her and did not attend the offices of non-profit organizations in Famille Chinille Du Grand Montréal, or in the center of the School-liter, in the selection.
RCMP Quebec announced in early 2023 that they were investigating the two organizations of the Montreal region to allegedly place police sections of the secret Chinese government. At that time, RCMP said that the stations were used to provide pressure on members of the Chinese community in Canada, sometimes by the threat of friends or relatives in China. They said that they also investigated similar charges of secret police sites in Vancouver and Toronto.
Strength recently confirmed that she closed the investigation in the Montreal centers and does not recommend that the charges be laid down at the moment. RCMP did not confirm whether investigations are continuing in Toronto or Vancouver.
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“We will confirm that we closed the investigation into foreign interventions regarding the alleged illegal actions, which were reported in connection with the Chinese centers of the Diaspora service in the Montreal area,” – RCMP CPL. Eric Gass said in an email.
Gassa added that RCMP will continue to effort “fight against foreign intervention and any form of intimidation, persecution, threats or harmful aiming the diaspora or individuals in Canada”.
While Lee is released by the end of the investigation and is grateful for those who supported her, she and other members of the community say that widely advertised accusations caused huge damage. Lee said that the centers lost 70 percent of their financing, forcing them to dismiss staff and reduce their services. She said that they also almost lost the Montreal building Where one of the non -profit organizations was after the bank decided to call a mortgage.
“This is very painful, because we are there to help people who are very marginal in society,” Lee said, adding that the activities of the two centers include the provision of language classes and assistance to new immigrants to gain access to public services and employment.
Lee, who is also a city adviser in Brossard, said that she was also the subject of personal attacks that forced her to be afraid to leave her house and forced her to take medicines to sleep.
Lee and organizations filed a lawsuit of $ 4.9 million against RCMP, claiming that the officers defame them, publicly branded them as suspect “police sections”. This lawsuit, which remains in the courts, says that accusations against groups are unfounded.
Walter Tom, an immigration lawyer and a lawyer of the Chinese community, believes that the RCMP decision to detect their investigation was a “complete violation of the proper procedure”.
“What happened to the presumption of innocence? This is very strange, ”he said on Tuesday in a telephone interview. “There should be questions asked about why RCMP decided to become public.”
He says that the actions of the force of stigmatized members of the Chinese community. He added that the RCMP should apologize and a statement that clearly states that no evidence of the misconduct was found. He also hopes that the trial will ensure the form of financial reparations.
May Chiu, a round table at the Montreal of the Chinese quarter, says that the investigation had a “frightening effect” to the community. She said that people who suffered directly include elderly people who do not speak in English or in French, and depend on organizations to access services. According to Chiu, community members were subjected to discriminatory comments, and they generally brave them with “Chinese spies” and were afraid to gain access to the centers or to favorably tell about China.
“It’s just unacceptable that people were injured,” she said.
Chiu, like Tom, believes that RCMP should do more to help restore the reputation of organizations. She also wants to assure that other groups will not contact the same.
“What precautions will they take so that innocent witnesses are not purposeful and not wounded, and racial communities are not subjected to stigmatization by RCMP?” She said.
& Copy 2025 Canadian press
