Hong Kong Watch hosts online briefing with parliamentarians on Chinese Communist Party intimidation of Hong Konger Canadians
Last Tuesday, Hong Kong Watch hosted an online briefing with parliamentarians where Hong Konger Canadians shared their experiences with threats and intimidation by the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Department.
Five Hong Konger Canadians from Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary who have been active in the pro-democracy movement or the Hong Kong community have each received threatening messages and graphic videos from anonymous senders. The messages contained information about the recipient’s personal details such as the name of their partner, the name and address of their workplace, and the date by which they needed to renew the license of their vehicle. Four of the individuals have filed reports with CSIS and the RCMP, while one has filed reports with the police. There have been no updates from the authorities.
Hong Kong Watch organized the briefing between parliamentarians and the Hong Konger Canadians in response to the Government’s public consultation on a foreign influence transparency registry. It is important that the government take into account experiences directly from the Hong Kong Canadian Community.
Hong Kong Watch’s recommendations are as follows:
That the Government establish a reporting hotline for victims of intimidation and threats by foreign agents;
That members of the community reach out to their Members of Parliament regarding their personal experiences with intimidation and threats by foreign agents;
That relevant committees hold hearings on the subject; and
That Bill S-237 move forward in the Senate and the House of Commons in time for when consultations for the Foreign Agent Registry ends.
Katherine Leung, the policy advisor for Hong Kong Watch, says:
“We welcome the Government’s announcement that it will set up a foreign agent registry. It is important that the most vulnerable members of the community, those who speak up against Xi Jinping’s regime in Beijing, have their experiences taken into account.
I was previously a volunteer for the same organization as some of these individuals, and I can attest to the fact that threats from anonymous senders is a reality faced by those active in the pro-democracy movement and the Hong Kong community on a regular basis – but that should not be the case. It is our hope that the registry will be set up swiftly such that agents acting on behalf of a foreign regime cannot engage in such intimidations and threats without consequences.”
Alison, one of the Hong Kongers who spoke to parliamentarians about her experience, says:
“I was the recipient of threatening messages that detailed personal information such as the address of my workplace, the name of my partner, and even the time and route I take to walk my dog in my own neighbourhood. The sender has specified that it is my involvement in the pro-democracy movement for Hong Kong that led them to harass me persistently. I have reported the incidents to CSIS and the RCMP, but the messages have not stopped. Because of these threats, I have been living in fear even though I fled to Canada to escape precisely this – even though my right to freedom of speech and expression are protected by the Charter, every day I am afraid that my advocacy will lead to me or my loved ones being hurt.”
Melissa Lantsman MP, Hong Kong Watch patron and deputy leader of the Official Opposition, says:
“The uptick in hate, rising crime, and continued threats across Canada are unacceptable. No one on Canadian soil should be made to feel unsafe or threatened based on who they are or where they came from. We demand that the Liberals protect Canadians from foreign interference by immediately calling an open and transparent inquiry, and finally protect all Canadians especially Hong Kong Canadians instead of hiding the truth.”
Garnett Genuis MP, Hong Kong Watch patron, says:
“The intimidation and threats received by Hong Konger Canadians for exercising their constitutional rights to freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression is unacceptable. The Government must act quickly to address this. Interference or intimidation by foreign agents has no place in Canada, and the government must call a fully independent public inquiry into foreign interference.”