GTA group allegedly hosting China’s secret police station says it bankrolled majority of the June 24 protest on Parliament Hill
Canada Toronto Fuqing Business Association (CTFQBA, 加拿大多伦多福清商会), an organization allegedly hosts one of China’s ‘overseas police stations’ in Canada, says it provided more than half of the funds for the massive demonstration on Parliament Hill on June 24, 2023, according to a post on its WeChat channel.
The post also states that over 100 members of the CTFQBA took part in the demonstration, including 28 members who hold positions in its management.
An event of mysteries
The post, headlined ‘Remembering history, reflecting on the past and moving forward better’, was published yesterday (June 29), five days after the June 24 Parliament Hill demonstration that amassed 3000 or so people.
The demonstration, often called the ‘June 24 Rally’, was likely one of the largest events in the Chinese Canadian community in recent months. Although hundreds of related articles have emerged in Chinese-language media, aspects of the event are shrouded in murkiness or secrecy, such as its purpose and the source of its funding.
The purpose of the rally was to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the enactment of Canada’s discriminatory but now-defunct Chinese Exclusion Act (排华法案) and urge Canadians to work hard to prevent history from repeating itself.
Protesting against Canada’s proposed foreign agent registry, and encouraging Chinese Canadians to sign Petition e-4395, was another task of the demonstration, according to the official website of the June 24 demonstration.
Although a last-minute notice from the organizer told participants not to speak this part out loud, numerous marketing materials have been found to link the historical Chinese Exclusion Act to the foreign agent registry under consultation today.
The source of the founding for the June 24 rally was also something many have been wondering about. The cost of an event with thousands of people from several major cities across Canada is not a small number. In addition, the $15 per person compensation for protestors, and the price tag of renting 50 buses arranged by Senator Oh, also made many Canadians curious about who would pick up the bill.
Canada Toronto Fuqing Business Association (CTFQBA) said proudly in its WeChat post, ‘... the Association’s donation to the event accounted for the majority of the total amount raised, making a significant contribution to the event.’
CTFQBA allegedly hosts China’s ‘overseas police station’
The CTFQBA also stated that more than 100 CTFQBA members participated in the June 24 rally and showed up in person on Parliament Hill, including 28 management staffers, namely, Weng Guoning (翁国宁), Wei Chengyi (魏成义), Chen Kai (陈凯)，Yu Wenwu (余文武), Guo Baozhang (郭葆章)，Lin Shengshui (林圣水)，He Zongjiang (何宗疆)，He Zongqing (何宗清)，Lin Xianyou (林贤友)，Shi Yun (施云)，Yu Lin (余燐)，Fecility Guo (郭岚), Zheng Muping (郑木平)，Yu Jian (余坚)，He Pinguang (何品光)，Jiang Xiujing (江修敬)，Chen Tinggui (陈挺贵)，Lin Shuming (林书明)，Chen Pingping (陈平平)，Lin Zhenyu (林震宇)，Lin Xing (林兴)，Chen Lixing (陈孔兴)，Lin Xiaoming (林小明)，Li Shuliang (李述亮)，Wang Mingdi (王明弟)，Fang Ming (方明)，Weng Zihao (翁子豪).
The CTFQBA has undergone intense media scrutiny and RCMP investigation for allegations that it operated as Chian’s unofficial police station because its office address, 220 Royal Crest Ct unit 1, Markham, ON L3R 9Y2, matches that of a Chinese overseas police station in Canada, according to a report by Safeguard Defenders, an human rights group based in Spain.
The CTFQBA closed its Markham office after the RCMP investigation, but the operation of CTFQBA does not stop. Numerous reports and photos on Chinese-language media including its own WeChat channel, indicate the CTFQBA is still actively engaging the community at various events.
Additionally, some of the CTFQBA members are also members of another controversial group, the Confederation of Toronto Chinese Canadian Organizations (CTCCO). CTCCO was called an official lobby group for the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto.
Wei Chengyi, permanent honorary chairman of CTFQBA and CTCCO, is the subject of investigations involving China’s political interference in Canada’s elections, is suspected of being the proxy for the Chinese Consulate to transfer funds to Canadian candidates.
Michael Chan (陈国治), deputy mayor of Markham, stood with the CTFQBA at the June 24 rally. Safeguard Defenders report shows there are three Chinese underground police stations in the Greater Toronto Area, and two of them are located in Markham.