Chinese Group Faces Member Opposition After Supporting Beijing
Another Chinese Canadian organization in Toronto is facing internal backlash after it publicly took a stance favourable to Beijing.
CPAC’s May 10 Chinese-language commentary, titled “Chinese Canadians Are Capable of Making Their Own Decisions,” referred to the public discussions after the publication of the commission’s report, and rejected the interpretation that interference by Beijing cost former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu his B.C. riding seat in the 2021 election. The riding was one of those noted by the commission as having experienced irregularities during the election. The commission’s report said Mr. Chiu, along with then-Tory Leader Erin O’Toole—both of whom are outspoken critics of the Beijing regime—were targets of a misinformation campaign.
“As Chinese people and Chinese organizations in Canada, we must be clear on this: Should we guard our new home after leaving our homeland and protect its democratic institutions, or should we help foreign forces to wreak havoc and make Canada a country that we have to flee again?” the May 14 op-ed read.
In an interview with The Epoch Times, the author of the op-ed, who provided his name only as Remington out of precaution, said CPAC shouldn’t have written the May 10 commentary on behalf of all members.
“In writing this commentary, [the author] could only represent the author’s own personal views. The author cannot represent the entire association because the author did not conduct any surveys or gather any feedback within the association. The author didn’t check whether everyone agreed to publish this article in the name of the association. The author essentially hijacked the 30,000 Chinese members to endorse the author’s own viewpoint,” Mr. Remington, a civil engineer in Alberta, told The Epoch Times.
Another CPAC member, Jonathan Fon, said it was wrong for CPAC to publish a commentary with such a position.
He said many new Chinese immigrants to Canada initially get attracted to join CPAC because they can enjoy group benefits, such as lower insurance rates. He says it appears that CPAC leadership was attempting to form an outlet to voice certain positions aligned with Beijing, but that this attempt has now been a failure given the public backlash.
The Epoch Times reached out to CPAC and Mr. Shi for comment but didn’t hear back.
‘Rejecting Pro-CCP Practices’
Beijing critic and democracy activist Sheng Xue, speaking to The Epoch Times, noted the trend of Chinese Canadians resisting misrepresentation by organizations adopting a pro-Beijing stance on behalf of their members. She said that as Canadian society becomes more vigilant and opposed to the interference and transnational repression of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), more individuals are now daring to speak up.
“Increasing numbers of Chinese Canadians, especially the second generation, are unwilling to continue being subject to CCP interference and control. They are increasingly rejecting both the CCP’s manipulations and the pro-CCP practices within the Chinese community,” Ms. Sheng said.
Ms. Sheng highlighted frequent interactions between CPAC leadership and the Chinese Consulate in Toronto.
Council of Newcomer Organizations
Similar to the members’ backlash against CPAC, former CONCO executive chair Zhu Jiang faced criticism from four co-chairs in 2020 after making pro-Beijing remarks on behalf of CONCO members. This includes attending an Aug. 11, 2019, event in Markham, Ont., to oppose the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests.