{"id":71411,"date":"2023-06-16T23:11:32","date_gmt":"2023-06-17T04:11:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.jackjia.com\/?p=71411"},"modified":"2023-06-17T23:16:21","modified_gmt":"2023-06-18T04:16:21","slug":"20230616-%e5%ae%89%e5%a4%a7%e7%95%a5%e6%b0%91%e4%b8%bb%e8%81%94%e7%9b%9f%e5%9c%a8%e5%bd%92%e9%9b%b6%e5%9c%b0%e6%89%93%e5%87%bb%e5%a4%96%e5%9b%bd%e5%b9%b2%e6%b6%89","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.jackjia.com\/?p=71411","title":{"rendered":"20230616\/\u5b89\u5927\u7565\u6c11\u4e3b\u8054\u76df\u5728\u201c\u5f52\u96f6\u5730\u201d\u6253\u51fb\u5916\u56fd\u5e72\u6d89"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ontario democracy coalition fights foreign interference at ‘ground zero’<\/strong><\/p>\n

Judy Trinh
\nCTV National News, Ottawa Correspondent
\nFollow | Contact
\nPublished June 16, 2023 11:36 a.m. EDT<\/p>\n

MARKHAM, ONT. – As opposition parties fight for a public inquiry into foreign interference on Parliament Hill, a community watchdog is trying to shine a light on where political meddling often first takes hold – in local politics.
\nThe Markham Coalition for Democracy was formed following months of allegations that entangled federal, provincial and municipal politicians in the Greater Toronto Area. Two illegal Chinese police stations have also been discovered in the city, leading some to believe that Markham is “ground zero” for Chinese interference.<\/p>\n

Robert Mok, a long-time community activist and coalition member, says China is exploiting the city\u2019s demographics and its weak policies.<\/p>\n

Markham has a population of more than 350,000. According to Statistics Canada, 70 per cent of residents are people of colour. Nearly half are ethnic Chinese, while one-in-five residents was born in China.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole thing about foreign interference is that you want somebody you want to be elected, so that eventually they can be a mouthpiece,\u201d said Mok.<\/p>\n

GROOMING FOR HIGHER OFFICE
\nMok says agents of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are helping get candidates elected in municipal elections, then supporting them as they make the jump to provincial and federal politics.<\/p>\n

\u201cMunicipal politics is not non-partisan,\u201d said Mok. \u201cIt\u2019s clear some councillors are affiliated party members. You groom them\u2026and eventually they progress into the upper echelons – into higher levels of government.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mok says the CCP works through established cultural organizations, ranging from recreation to business associations to direct donations toward a preferred candidate, and mobilizes votes and volunteers to get that candidate elected.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to take a deeper look at the money,\u201d said Mok.<\/p>\n

Robert Mok is a member of the Markham Democracy Coalition which was formed in May to raise awareness of foreign interference in local politics<\/p>\n

FINANCING IRREGULARITIES<\/p>\n

Campaign finance reports for Markham\u2019s municipal election in 2022 show that 11 of 41 candidates raised money surpassing the limit. By law, the excess fundraising monies go into city coffers.<\/p>\n

CTV News analyzed the contributions and found some irregularities, including that one losing candidate raised more than twice as much money than was allowed.<\/p>\n

Several reports revealed donations to one candidate from multiple people at the same address.<\/p>\n

The most striking case involved donations attached to a home at 20 Edgecombe Court. Twelve people with different last names used the same address when they contributed to Regional Coun. Allan Ho last year. They made contributions to Ho\u2019s campaign of either $500 or $1,000.<\/p>\n

When a reporter visited the Edgecombe address, the homeowner said he didn\u2019t recognize the names of several people on the donation list.<\/p>\n

The councillor\u2019s finances were audited and certified. Ho didn\u2019t respond to a request for comment and it\u2019s uncertain if he is aware of this unusual pattern.<\/p>\n

Twelve different names were attached to donations linked to the address of this home on Edgecombe Court in Markham during the 2022 municipal election.<\/p>\n

TOP FUNDRAISER<\/p>\n

Markham\u2019s deputy mayor, Michael Chan, is known in political circles as a prolific fundraiser and has campaigned for \u2013 by his own count \u2013 45 politicians at federal and provincial levels. He previously served in former Ontario Liberal premier Kathleen Wynne\u2019s government.<\/p>\n

Chan is currently suing the federal government, CSIS and two journalists for using leaked information he says wrongly implicates him in election interference.<\/p>\n

According to public records, Chan raised the most money during the 2022 municipal election campaign. His contributions totalled $224,776, more than $35,000 over the limit. Nearly half the donors supported Chan with the maximum allowed personal contribution of $1,200.<\/p>\n

Chan says he\u2019s a strong fundraiser because he \u201cshows up to honour\u201d people and \u201cgives them respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople remember that,\u201d Chan said. \u201cAnd when you need help in terms of contributions, they will support me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The overwhelming majority of Chan\u2019s donors have Chinese surnames.<\/p>\n

When asked if his donors were predominantly supporters of the Chinese regime – the former Ontario trade minister responded, \u201cthey are people who support the country they come from.\u201d<\/p>\n

Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti and Deputy Mayor Michael Chan pose for photos on June 14, 2023<\/p>\n

EXPELLED DIPLOMAT IN ATTENDANCE
\nAnother local politician who aspired to higher office is Ward 6 Coun. Amanda Collucci. She ran as an Ontario Liberal candidate in 2018, but returned to municipal politics after losing the race.<\/p>\n

In January, Collucci hosted a Lunar New Year celebration. At that event, she presented more than $30,000 in donation cheques to York University and seniors’ associations. Among the guests were officials with Toronto\u2019s Chinese Consulate, including diplomat Zhao Wei who made a speech and posed for photos with Chan, Collucci and Mayor Frank Scarpitti.<\/p>\n

Five months later, allegations surfaced that Wei tried to intimidate Conservative MP Michael Chong. The diplomat was declared persona-non-grata by the federal government and expelled.<\/p>\n

Despite this brush with potential foreign interference, Mayor Scarpitti says the City of Markham hasn\u2019t changed its policy regarding meeting with diplomats.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether a foreign diplomat makes speeches or attends an event in our community, they\u2019re representing a country in their role. What they do between functions and other times \u2013 that\u2019s beyond our ability to investigate and evaluate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scarpitti says national security officials haven\u2019t warned him of any risks, and he continues to meet with consul-generals to pursue economic initiatives.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s no requirement for the mayor or his council to log such meetings. Markham does not have a lobbyist registry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means that stuff potentially is happening kind of in the shadows and in back rooms that people aren’t aware of,\u201d says Reid McAlpine, a councillor who is also a member of the Markham Democracy Coalition. He\u2019s pushing for a city policy to require lobbyists to register and for meetings with special interest groups to be put on the public record.<\/p>\n

McAlpine says Markham\u2019s registry should also include diplomats to safeguard against foreign interference.<\/p>\n

\u201cLocal politicians including school board trustees are more susceptible because we typically are out of the media spotlight and are probably more vulnerable to this sort of influence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reid McAlpine is a Markham city councillor who is pushing for a registry for lobbyists and diplomats at the city.<\/p>\n

Judy Trinh<\/strong><\/p>\n

CTV National News, Ottawa Correspondent<\/p>\n

Judy Trinh is a correspondent for CTV NATIONAL NEWS, based in Ottawa. She specializes in politics and investigations, with a commitment to covering stories focusing on marginalized communities.<\/p>\n

Trinh previously worked as an investigative journalist at CBC. Throughout her career, she covered a wide variety of international news events, ranging from police misconduct to human rights court challenges and the #MeToo movement. She has reported live from disaster zones, investigated terror suspects, and shone a light on sexual assault within the music industry.<\/p>\n

Recognized for her fearless and in-depth reporting, Trinh was honoured with the Student Press Freedom Award from Canadian Journalists for Free Expression. She has also been recognized by the Canadian Screen Awards and National Magazine Awards with multiple nominations.<\/p>\n

Originally from Vietnam, Trinh was four years old when her family fled the country to escape persecution. Her harrowing story inspired one of Historica Canada\u2019s Heritage Minutes. In her spare time, Trinh mentors immigrant journalists at New Canadian Media and volunteers with refugee organizations.<\/p>\n

Trinh holds a Master of Arts degree from Western University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Alberta. She began her career in journalism as a television reporter for A Channel News in Edmonton.<\/p>\n

She speaks English and Cantonese.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.ctvnews.ca\/politics\/ontario-democracy-coalition-fights-foreign-interference-at-ground-zero-1.6443914<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.ctvnews.ca\/judy-trinh-1.6058501?contactForm=true<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ontario democracy coalition fights foreign interference at ‘ground zero’ Judy Trinh CTV National News, Ottawa Correspondent Follow | Conta…
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