Mendicino Says RCMP Took ‘Decisive Action’ to Shut Down Chinese Police Stations in Canada

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino (L) and CSIS director David Vigneault wait to appear before the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 6, 2023. The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby

The Chinese police stations operating in Canada have been shut down by the RCMP, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said as he was pressed by MPs on actions taken by his government to tackle interference.

“The RCMP have taken decisive action to shut down the so-called police stations,” said Mendicino while testifying on April 27 before the House of Commons Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC).

Mendicino faced repeated questions from Conservative MPs committee asking about the police stations and why the federal government has not expelled Chinese diplomats in light of media reports alleging their involvement in foreign interference.

Mendicino did not directly answer on multiple occasions questions about the lack of expulsion of diplomats and instead said that his government has taken a number of measures to protect the country.

“No arrests, no charges. The FBI have [made] arrests, but not in Canada, in respect of the illegal police stations,” said Conservative MP Michael Cooper.

Cooper added that since no diplomats have been expelled and no arrests made, and that Mendicino was not answering the questions directly, he asked if he would “at the very least rebuke the Beijing regime.”

“Canada’s among the strongest voices when it comes to rebuking any authoritarian regime and anyone that stands against human rights,” Mendicino said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly had been more forthcoming about the reasons for not expelling diplomats when she testified before PROC on March 9.

She said concerns about retaliation and a lack of evidence explain why there have been no expulsions since 2015.

“If there are ever Chinese diplomats that flout the Vienna Convention, then we will take action,” said Joly.

Chinese Police Stations

The RCMP indicated in March that it was investigating two suspected Chinese police stations in the Montreal area.

After identifying publicly the organizations that were allegedly hosting the stations, two community organizations providing services to Chinese immigrants, the RCMP said it had received over a dozen serious tips on their activities.

As of early April, RCMP C Division in Montreal told The Epoch Times it had no updates to provide on the file and that the investigation was running its course.

RCMP headquarters was contacted to confirm whether the stations have indeed been “shut down,” but a response was not received by publication time.

Other stations were said to be operating in Toronto and Vancouver. The issue was brought to light by Spain-based NGO Safeguard Defenders, which identified stations operating across the world.

The RCMP had already indicated in March that the stations in Canada had ceased operations, but at that time the existence of the ones in Montreal was not publicly known.

Former RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki told the Commons Standing Committee on Canada-China Relations in February that marked police cars had been sent on location to disrupt the stations’ activities.

This led to Chinese diplomats protesting to federal authorities, Lucki’s current acting replacement said a few weeks later.

“Any time you have representatives from the embassy whose law enforcement liaison officer comes up to us and is not pleased with the actions we took, I think that’s a sign that we did our job,” said then-deputy RCMP Michael Duheme as he testified before PROC on March 2.

Mendicino did not elaborate on which “decisive action” the RCMP took to shut down the stations, but it is known the public was advised of an investigation and marked police cars were sent on location.

No arrests have been made, which comes in contrast with actions taken by the FBI recently. The Bureau arrested two individuals on April 17 in New York City on charges of operating a police station for the Chinese regime.

“This prosecution reveals the Chinese government’s flagrant violation of our nation’s sovereignty by establishing a secret police station in the middle of New York City,” said U.S. District Attorney Breon Peace.

The duo was charged with “conspiring to act as agents” of the Chinese government and obstructing justice.

Canada currently does not have strong laws against foreign interference and also lacks a foreign agent registry, contrary to the United States.

Consultations are currently ongoing on the Canadian registry but Mendicino couldn’t provide a timeline for when it could materialize.

“I understand the urgency, but we need to establish a mechanism that also includes protections against stereotyping and stigmatization,” he told MPs.

Peter Wilson, Andrew Chen, Andrew Thornebrooke, and Eva Fu contributed to this report.