The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa, in a file photo. (NTD)
By Limin Zhou
A Regina-based Canadian think tank, SecondStreet.org, released a policy brief this week shedding light on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s harassment of Chinese-Canadians on Canadian soil.
The report closely examines the alarming incidents of harassment experienced by the Chinese community, delving into the lived experiences of Chinese-Canadians to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges they face.
The reported types of harassment range from threatening or unexplained phone calls, sometimes in the middle of the night, to interference with digital communications and social media. In one alarming case, a Chinese-Canadian discovered a knife placed next to a mysteriously damaged houseplant, which they believe was a subtle threat related to their criticism of the CCP.
One Chinese-Canadian reported that his WeChat account was shadow-banned after expressing support for Hong Kong in 2018. As a result, only users with Canadian phone numbers could see their posts.
““So my Canadian political campaigns for various candidates and my Bible study with friends in China since 2018 have been severely impacted,” said the WeChat user.
The report highlights troubling instances where the CCP targeted the families and friends of Chinese-Canadians still in China, who were coerced into signing pledges to prevent overseas activities the CCP disapproves of, and even visited by security officers with warnings.
Additionally, phone calls from Canada to China were monitored, prompting some relatives to request an end to contact out of fear of repercussions, such as losing pensions or facing police scrutiny.
A Chinese-Canadian who ran for municipal office in 2022 claimed to have been a victim of CCP election interference due to his anti-CCP views. He reported that his profile was misrepresented, mistranslated, or omitted entirely on Chinese-language websites focused on ethnic Chinese candidates. Notably, the now-defunct website MyCanadaMyVoice.com published a list of 45 ethnic Chinese candidates but covertly excluded those who were vocally anti-PRC (People’s Republic of China).
This report underscores the ongoing challenges faced by Chinese-Canadians and other targeted groups, even within the safety of Canada’s borders. The findings highlight the need for stronger protective measures to ensure these individuals can live free from fear and intimidation.
“Chinese-Canadians shouldn’t have to worry about their homeland’s tyrannical regime while in Canada,” said Dom Lucyk, the report’s author. “From harassing phone calls and punctured tires to threatening Canadians’ relatives back in China, it’s clear that Canada has a serious problem on our hands.”
The report says that many feel they were targeted because of their support for Hong Kong, or their adherence to Christianity or the Falun Gong spiritual practice, or simply advocating for democracy.
The report calls on Canadian authorities to take these concerns seriously and to implement strategies that will protect all Canadians from foreign interference and harassment. It remains to be seen how the Canadian government will respond to the growing demands for action against CCP harassment on its soil.