Investigative Journalist Exposes CCP’s Infiltration of Canada Through Hong Kong Tycoons and Gangs

Canadian journalist Samuel Cooper. Courtesy of Samuel Cooper

Recently, Canadian investigative journalist Sam Cooper spoke to The Epoch Times in an interview about the latest edition of his bestseller, Wilful Blindness, set to be released on Oct 22.

Initially published in 2021, Wilful Blindness explores how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has used Hong Kong tycoons and triad leaders to infiltrate Canada, particularly affecting Vancouver’s real estate market through underground banking. Triads are organized crime syndicates that originated in China and have a long history of involvement in illegal activities such as drug trafficking, extortion, and money laundering.

Cooper’s investigation revealed that this network of illicit funds, originating from China and Hong Kong, played a significant role in driving up Vancouver’s housing prices, fueling what became known as the “Vancouver Model” of money laundering.

In the updated edition of the book, Cooper delves deeper into foreign interference in Canada, especially in Canadian elections, adding fresh insights into how CCP-aligned criminal networks are manipulating local economies and politics. In his recent conversation with the Epoch Times, Cooper highlighted how malicious actors from political, criminal, and financial sectors are working in concert with Beijing to gain influence in the country.

He said, “If these activities continue for decades, half a century, China will silently control other jurisdictions, just like it did with Hong Kong.”

The Vancouver Model of Money Laundering

During his years as a journalist covering city hall, Cooper uncovered how major real estate developers had heavily influenced Vancouver’s city government. The underground banking system, with funds flowing from China and Hong Kong, fueled local economic activity, mainly through money laundering in government-regulated casinos. This practice, dubbed the “Vancouver Model,” has since spread globally, serving as a tool for the CCP to take control of other countries and regions.

“The CCP views the world as a playground for its infiltration tactics, using a combination of spies and organized crime to advance its agenda,” Cooper told The Epoch Times. Through the United Front Work Department, the CCP has formed alliances with Hong Kong’s triad leaders and business elites to dismantle pro-democracy movements covertly. This “hybrid war model,” Cooper said, allows territories to be captured without firing a single shot, as was the case with Hong Kong.

CCP’s Reach Extends to Canadian Politics

According to Cooper, these infiltration tactics are not limited to Hong Kong. The same methods have been used around the world, including in Canada.

“The CCP was at the heart of politics in a lot of countries by using those illegal networks,” Cooper said. In Canada, this “elite capture” extends to politicians, election candidates, and those who ignore money laundering activities all bearing responsibility for allowing the CCP to gain a foothold in the country, he said.

Cooper believes Canada could soon face the threat of not only “elite capture” but also “state capture.”

Project Sidewinder: Uncovering CCP’s Influence in the 1990s

Cooper also discussed obtaining information from Project Sidewinder. This investigation, launched by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in the 1990s, looked into the CCP’s infiltration of Canada through wealthy Hong Kong businessmen and Chinese organized crime.

The investigation revealed a shocking level of influence from individuals tied to CCP intelligence and triads making inroads in Canada.

Michel Juneau-Katsuya, the former head of CSIS’s Asia-Pacific division, has said that Hong Kong tycoons invested vast sums of money in Canada during this period to “buy businesses and buy influence.” Investigators uncovered connections between CCP intelligence services, wealthy elites, and triads, which Juneau-Katsuya called the “unholy trinity.”

According to the report, “certain powerful companies and the Chinese intelligence agents embedded in our government were able to influence high-level decision-making.”

Despite their findings, the investigation was halted in 1997. Former Canadian diplomat Brian McAdam, who was stationed in Hong Kong for a time, said that key evidence was suppressed, and investigators were either fired or stonewalled. The classified report was eventually leaked to the media in 1999.

The Ongoing Threat of CCP Influence

During the interview, Cooper said that the threat posed by the CCP is ongoing and expanding. He drew parallels between CCP-run police stations in countries like Canada, which have been exposed in recent years, and the activities he uncovered in Hong Kong during the 1990s. In both cases, the CCP has used organized crime groups to engage in surveillance, harassment, intimidation, and even forced repatriation of individuals back to China.

Since revealing these CCP operations, Cooper has faced ongoing legal and personal threats, particularly from CCP-controlled groups in Canada that accuse him of “anti-Asian racism.“ Despite this, Cooper remains resolute. “I’m a person of faith. I have a lot of support,”  he said.

Cooper noted that some Canadian politicians, such as Conservative MP Kenny Chiu, have faced similar challenges. According to a report by Canada’s ongoing Foreign Interference Commission, Chiu was targeted by a CCP misinformation campaign in 2021 after he proposed the Foreign Influence Registry Act. This bill sought to expose foreign agents acting on behalf of foreign governments. He ultimately lost his re-election bid.

What Can Be Done?

When asked what steps could be taken to counter these infiltration tactics, Cooper emphasized the need for a united democratic front. As the situation continues to worsen, the world must pay attention, Cooper said. Quoting former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, “The enemy is inside our gates,” Cooper urged people to understand the seriousness of the threat and take action.

“That’s what’s continuing to drive my work at the Bureau, my new platform, which builds on my work from Willful Blindness,” he said.