Two Chinese community centers in the Montreal area and their leader accuse the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) of defamation and are suing it for $5 million. They blame the federal police for loss of income and damage to their reputation in the affair of “Chinese police stations” abroad, which came to light last year. No charges have been laid in this case since the RCMP launched investigations in early 2023.
The Chinese Family Service of Greater Montreal, the Center Sino-Québec de la Rive-Sud and the general director of these two organizations, Xixi Li, criticize the RCMP for having publicly and prematurely identified them as being the subject of an investigation into alleged Chinese stations that are responsible for foreign interference on Canadian soil.
“The plaintiffs emphasize that the RCMP failed to conduct a thorough investigation before publicly accusing them, among other things, of being affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party and of participating with the latter in foreign interference in Canada,” we can say. read in the document filed in Superior Court on Wednesday.
The plaintiffs also believe that the RCMP’s comments in the media “reflect an indifference on the part of the defendant as to the accuracy of the information conveyed, a lack of diligence in the exercise of its functions and a total lack of consideration as to the prejudice arising from the disclosure of this information on the reputation and status of the applicants.
The organizations are seeking $3.3 million in damages for funding losses that followed the federal police’s allegations. They also claim, with Mme Li, a total of $1.7 million in moral and punitive damages for damage to their reputation.
“My clients hope that the matter can be resolved amicably, but they are also prepared to go to trial if necessary. They will do whatever is necessary to repair their reputation,” added the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Ms.e Maryse Lapointe.
Fears of interference
In September 2022, the human rights group Safeguard Defenders revealed the existence of 54 “Chinese police stations” around the world, including three in the greater Toronto area. The following month, the RCMP said it was investigating “reports of criminal activity relating to so-called police stations” in Canada. These revelations earned the Chinese ambassador numerous criticisms.
On March 9, 2023, the police confirmed that they had opened investigations into two Chinese centers in the province. The RCMP was carrying out actions “aimed at detecting and disrupting these criminal activities supported by a foreign state and which could threaten the security of people living in Canada,” according to an RCMP sergeant.
A few days later, Quebec Minister of Employment, Kateri Champagne Jourdain, suspended an annual subsidy of more than a million dollars in funding granted to the two organizations targeted by the investigation.