But evidence that the Fuqing Business Association and the Confederation of Toronto Chinese Canadian Organizations worked to help get Chow elected — even if their participation was not requested — raises further questions about the involvement of Beijing and its local allies in Canadian politics.Jonathan Fon, a Toronto-based commentator and Beijing critic, said it’s unlikely Chow would have any motivation to promote groups aligned with the Chinese Communist Party.
The groups’ participation is worrying because “they work too close to the Chinese government,” said an immigrant from mainland China and small-business owner in the Greater Toronto Area, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution. “I want to ask them, ‘What is your purpose, why did you try to help Olivia Chow?’ … We don’t want any outside power to influence this country.”
A recent Globe and Mail report cited a Canadian Security Intelligence Service briefing that said Chinese diplomats tried to get sympathetic candidates elected in last year’s Vancouver municipal vote, in part by using diaspora groups that represented Beijing’s interests. Ken Sim, who won the Vancouver mayor’s race in a landslide, has denied that such interference played any part in his victory.
to Chow from the Fuqing Business Association, named after a city in China’s Fujian province. It lauds the historic nature of her victory and predicts she will bolster Toronto’s status as an “open, inclusive, progressive” city.Article content
Loans Loans Latest News, Loans Loans Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: nationalpost - 🏆 10. / 80 Read more »
Source: nationalpost - 🏆 10. / 80 Read more »