MONTREAL—The federal police force in Quebec is making its efforts to counter Beijing interference public, saying complex investigations are being stymied by a diaspora fearful of backlash from the Chinese regime.
The RCMP C Division, which has jurisdiction in Quebec, mobilized its mobile command post and a dozen uniformed officers in Montreal’s Chinatown on July 10 for a campaign to raise awareness of Chinese interference, as the force investigates alleged covert Chinese police stations operating in the community.
“We want to talk to the community from East Asia, but mostly the Chinese community, to demystify what is foreign interference and what is Chinese interference,” RCMP spokesperson Sergeant Charles Poirier told The Epoch Times in an interview, noting the event to his knowledge was the first of its kind in Canada.
Shortly after the video was posted online, Sgt. Poirier said the RCMP received four credible tips. He said this shows people are slowly becoming more willing to talk to police.
The RCMP’s decision to be more overt in its efforts is an attempt to deal with a complicated environment regarding language and cultural barriers, but also a “climate of terror that prevails; a code of silence,” said Sgt. Poirier.
The officer said the public campaign was motivated by the RCMP receiving tips in recent weeks from victims and witnesses of Beijing interference who said the problem is ongoing.
The RCMP said publicly in March last year it was investigating two Montreal-area community organizations suspected of hosting illegal Chinese police stations. No arrests have been made, while the organizations have since sued the RCMP for defamation.
“Our investigation into Chinese police stations is still active, there’s been no resolution,” Sgt. Poirier said.
Illegal Chinese police stations have been identified elsewhere in the country, with their purpose being to conduct transnational repression and pursue persons of interest to Beijing, according to human rights NGO Safeguard Defenders.
It’s unusual for the RCMP to confirm the subjects of an ongoing investigation, since it inevitably impacts the efforts and can lead to legal actions. But in the case of secret Chinese police stations, the investigation is “very difficult,” said Sgt. Poirier. “There are people who want to talk, who want to collaborate, but they don’t because of fear of reprisals.”
The RCMP officers who participated in the awareness event at the gate of Montreal’s Chinatown are investigators who usually wear suits and ties, but they donned the police uniform for the campaign. “When they go into businesses, there won’t be any confusion—people will know it’s the federal police,” said Sgt. Poirier.
The police services of Montreal and its suburb Longueuil are involved in the RCMP public campaign against Chinese interference. One of the organizations under investigation by federal police is located in Brossard, under the jurisdiction of Longueuil police, which has a sizeable Chinese community.
Even though municipal police are focused on public safety and foreign interference can be harder to identify, Sgt. Poirier says they’ve been collaborating well and have been relaying information related to the threat.
“Obviously for the average police officer, even within the RCMP, when we speak of foreign interference it can be a bit abstract,” said Sgt. Poirier. “There’s a lot of education to do within the community, but also within the law enforcement community.”
Canada has been rocked by revelations of foreign interference over the last year and a half, starting with intelligence leaks in the press depicting widespread meddling by Beijing.
A public inquiry has since been launched and its interim report released, while other national security watchdogs have examined the issue.
The Foreign Interference Commission concluded in May that meddling did not affect the overall results of the last two federal elections, but some results at the riding level could have been impacted.
Meanwhile, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians shocked the country in June with a report saying some elected officials are “wittingly” working for foreign states. No names have been revealed and the issue has been passed to the interference commission for review.
