Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says a Liberal colleague should not have criticized the work of the RCMP as it investigates organizations alleged to have doubled as secret Chinese police stations in the Montreal area.
“It’s not an appropriate or ideal circumstance to have MPs from the government, or from the opposition, to offer comments while there’s an investigation under way,” said Mr. LeBlanc.
As the minister was testifying before the House of Commons public safety committee on March 21, he was asked about recent comments from Liberal MP Alexandra Mendès, who also serves as deputy speaker of the House.
In February, Ms. Mendès hosted a Liberal Party event in her riding of Brossard—Saint-Lambert, which was attended by Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Brossard City Councillor Xixi Li.
“I would like [the RCMP] to wrap it up. If they have a case against the organizations, they should demonstrate it or else stop piling onto them,” Ms. Mendès reportedly told the Journal de Montréal which first covered the meeting. Ms. Mendès said she stands behind Ms. Li “100 percent.”
Bloc Québécois MP Kristina Michaud recounted to Mr. Leblanc the information uncovered by the Journal, including comments obtained from experts in the field who expressed surprise about Ms. Mendès’s actions.
Ms. Michaud remarked that Ms. Mendès didn’t hold back from criticizing the ongoing probe. “How is it that MPs from your government meddle with RCMP investigations,” the Bloc MP asked Mr. LeBlanc at the committee meeting.
“I share ... the way Ms. Michaud described the circumstances,” said Mr. LeBlanc. “I understand that these are ongoing investigations.”
“I completely agree with you: discussing a specific investigation is not useful and doesn’t help the RCMP do its work,” he added.
Mr. Leblanc said that the Chinese diaspora in Canada is often targeted by practices such as illegal police stations, a form of interference he said is “totally inappropriate” coming from the Chinese regime.
The RCMP’s C Division in Montreal, conducting the investigation, declined to comment.
“Our criminal investigation is running its course,” Sgt. Charles Poirier told The Epoch Times.
Meanwhile, Mr. Champagne’s office said he was unaware Ms. Li would be in attendance at the small event for party volunteers. “We expect that the organizers of public events in which the minister participates will carry out the necessary checks,” his press secretary Audrey Champoux told le Journal de Montréal (JdeM).
The Epoch Times contacted Ms. Mendès’ office and Ms. Li for comment but didn’t receive a response by press time.
Other Chinese police stations have been uncovered in Canada, and the RCMP took overt action by posting uniformed officers in proximity to them. The government previously said that the activities of the stations have ceased.
Foreign interference by Beijing and other actors are currently being scrutinized by the public inquiry into foreign interference. A new round of public hearings on elections meddling will start at the end of the month.
The inquiry was launched after opposition parties put pressure on the Liberal government following multiple national security leaks in the press depicted widespread interference by Beijing in Canada.
