移民厅长顾问曾任协会理事引发风波
星报通讯社电/安省公民与移民厅长科尔(Mike Colle)的一名顾问曾担任理事的华人组织从科尔管辖的移民厅获得25万元款项，用于设立帮助移民人士的就业谘询中心。这名顾问在该华人组织挂职至今。批评人士指，由于这层特殊关系，该华裔社团获得的款项有来自自由党“行贿基金”(slush fund)的嫌疑。
获25万元拨款
卷入事端的是1992年成立的非牟利机构加拿大中国专业人士协会(Chinese Professionals Association of Canada)。设于士嘉堡的中国专业人士协会3月底从科尔手下的移民厅获得25万元拨款，用于开设一间就业谘询中心。
为科尔担任政策顾问的黄政(Michael Huang)周五证实，他确曾在中国专业人士协会理事会任职，但已于数月前退出理事会，然而登记加国法人团体的Corporations Canada官方网站现时仍将黄政列为该协会理事。
当被问及中国专业人士协会何以得到政府拨款时，黄政对此表示毫不知情。
尽管一些获益组织与自由党关系不错，但与科尔手下雇员关系如此密切的组织获得拨款还是首次曝光。黄政在科尔的移民厅工作，其办公室就在移民厅大学道(University Ave.)办公楼的六楼。
科尔周五没有对中国专业人士协会获得拨款发表评论，但其发言人表示，该华人组织取得拨款与黄政担任科尔的顾问纯属巧合。
科尔的高级通讯顾问贝恩(Rick Byun)表示，黄政从去年秋天起参与一个安省政府服务实习计划，得以进入科尔办公室工作；今年3月，黄政才受聘成为科尔的全职顾问。
贝恩说，黄政当时身份只是实习生，因此全无机会参与拨款决策。
加拿大中国专业人士协会行政总监江志成(Dawin Kong)周五表示，该组织2月份向移民厅申请100万元款项，用于设立新的就业谘询中心。
他强调黄政没有在拨款事件扮演任何角色。江志成说：“我很少与他交谈，他不再是董事会内的行政人员。我们亦没有涉及政治事务。”
避免潜在利益冲突
黄氏坚持他没有在拨款给中国专业人士协会事件上影响科尔。他在公民与移民厅内接受简短电话访问时说：“我没有涉入拨款的事。”不过他承认参与该华人机构的事务已数年，至去年年底才离开理事会。
他忘记了辞职的正确日子，但多伦多“星岛日报”刊出他在去年10月16日再当选晋身理事会的照片。他在协会内的角色包括参与通讯委员会、项目发展委员会和文化暨康乐小组委员会。
稍后自由党人员主动接触星报记者，提供黄政离开理事会的详情。发言人陈炳圭(Ben Chin)说黄氏辞职是要避免“潜在利益冲突”。
科尔的高级通讯顾问贝恩(Rick Byun)形容黄政为一名“低级职员”，辞却理事会的职务是正确做法。
贝恩说：“他已斩断关系是正确的。”他形容黄氏获聘为公民与移民厅全职雇员为“成功的故事。”他说黄政获北京大学理学士学位，于1988年到多伦多大学攻读机械工程博士学位。
何谓“行贿基金”
据悉，中国专业人士协会所获25万元是移民厅长科尔过去两年划拨予110个组织的总共3,200万元拨款的一部分，拨款是为帮助新移民和开展其他项目。由于这3,200万元拨款没有正式申请程序，反对党一直指责拨款是“行贿基金”，而自由党也一直力图弥补这个漏洞，以免予人口实。
科尔本人及省长麦坚迪都否认拨款流向亲自由党的社团腰包。批评人士则正在力促安省审计总长在10月10日省选前就此展开特别调查，以确定各笔拨款是否有政治行贿目的。
自由党已投票否决反对党要求特别调查的动议。自由党表示，审计总长年终审计时可自由查看政府开支，因此特别调查大可不必。
黄政去年已辞理事职
黄政昨晚向本报记者声称，去年11月已辞去中国专业人士协会理事职务。
移民厅长科尔的高级通讯顾问贝恩昨夜亦向本报记者表示， 黄政于去年10月26日辞去中国专业人士协会理事职务 ，并有文件可作证。
登记加国法人团体的Corporations Canada网页现时仍将黄政列为该协会理事，不过该协会理事名单最后更新的日期为2006年3月31日。
Colle aide’s group tied to `slush funds’
Chinese association got $250,000 grant
May 05, 2007 04:30 AM
Rob Ferguson
Queen’s Park Bureau
An adviser to provincial cabinet minister Mike Colle was a director and remains a member of a Chinese group granted $250,000 from what critics are calling a Liberal “slush fund,” the Star has learned.
The cheque was sent from Colle’s citizenship and immigration ministry in late March to the Chinese Professionals Association of Canada in Scarborough to help build a new career counselling centre.
Colle policy adviser Michael Huang confirmed yesterday he served on the association’s board of directors until several months ago, although he’s still listed as a director on the Corporations Canada website.
“I’ve got no knowledge of that,” he said when asked how the Chinese association got the grant.
The $250,000 is part of $32 million Colle awarded to 110 groups – including several with Liberal ties – in the last two years for immigrant aid and other programs without a formal application process, a loophole the government has since closed amid opposition charges the money is a “slush fund.”
But this is the first time it has been revealed money went to a group with such close links to someone in Colle’s office. Huang works in the minister’s office on the sixth floor of a University Ave. office building.
While Colle and Premier Dalton McGuinty have denied cash was funnelled to Liberal-friendly groups, critics are pushing for a special probe by Ontario’s auditor general before the Oct. 10 provincial election to determine whether political favouritism played a role into how grants were awarded.
The Liberals have voted down opposition motions for a special probe, arguing the auditor general is free to look at any spending as part of his annual review due out in December.
Colle was not available for comment yesterday, but his spokesperson said the grant to the Chinese group and Huang’s role in the minister’s office are a coincidence and nothing more.
Huang wasn’t hired as a full-time adviser until March after serving with Colle’s office under an Ontario civil service internship program for foreign-trained graduates since early last fall, said Rick Byun, the minister’s senior communications adviser.
“He was an intern, he was not involved in decision-making for funding,” Byun said.
The executive director of the Chinese Professionals Association, Dawin Kong, said yesterday the group submitted a proposal to Colle’s ministry in February seeking $1 million toward a new career counselling centre.
He said Huang, whom he described as a “lifetime member,” did not play a role.
“I seldom talk to him,” said Kong. “He is no longer in management on the board. … We don’t touch any political affairs.”
Huang said he did not influence Colle in regard to the grant for the association, a registered, non-profit charity which was founded in 1992 and has more than 20,000 members.
“I’m not involved in those grant things,” Huang said in a brief telephone interview, acknowledging he was involved with the Chinese association for “several years” before quitting its board late last year.
He said he could not remember the date of his resignation, but a story in Toronto Chinese-language daily newspaper Sing Tao pictured him last Oct. 16 after being re-elected for another term on the board.
Liberal officials later approached the Star to offer details of Huang’s departure from the board, with party spokesperson Ben Chin saying Huang quit to avoid “a potential conflict of interest.”
Byun described Huang as a “junior staffer” who did the right thing by resigning from the board.
“He had cut his ties, it was all quite honourable,” said Byun, who described Huang as a “success story” for getting hired full-time in the minister’s office.
He said Huang has a bachelor’s degree in science from Beijing University and came to Canada in 1988 to earn a doctorate in mechanical engineering at the University of Toronto.
The opposition parties have questioned a $200,000 grant a year ago to the Iranian-Canadian Community Centre, a group that is yet to build a community centre and has raised just $15,000 in other funds.
The president of the Richmond Hill provincial Liberal riding association was a director until recently, as was nuclear safety expert Reza Moridi, who is seeking the Liberal nomination for the riding in the October election.
Another grant for $250,000 went to the Bengali Cultural Society, whose director is a member of the Ontario Liberal Party.
