A former British Columbia MLA who was detained in China in 2015 alleges the Canadian government ignored his pleas for help.

Richard Lee, a former BC Liberal MLA of Chinese heritage has finally opened up about what he calls federal government inaction after he was detained for eight hours while trying to travel to Shanghai four years ago.

Lee claims Chinese officials accused him of “endangering national security” and confiscated his belongings, including his government cell phone. He was then held for eight hours before he was forced on a plane headed back to Canada. 

While detained, Lee alleges that his phone was searched and he was denied access to consular services. 

“So my point is, it could happen to anyone. If someone in Canada does something not to China’s liking, your visa will be cancelled. It’s a serious situation,” Lee told Global News. 

According to Lee, the Liberal government ignored his letters for nearly a year, until journalists started investigating the story. Lee had written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, then-foreign affairs minister Chrystia Freeland, and Jody Wilson-Raybould, at the time Canada’s justice minister, among others, but received no reply.

During the 2019 Burnaby South federal by-election, Lee ran in the race for the federal Liberal party despite the lack of response. He came in second place behind NDP leader Jagmeet Singh.

This week, Lee received an email from the Prime Minister’s Office notifying him his case was passed onto the new foreign minister, François-Phillipe Champagne. 

At the time, Lee was reluctant to bring attention to the story out of fear that it would damage relations between the two countries while they were still cordial. 

He also informed the BC government and the Liberal caucus about the incident, raising concerns about the confidential government information potentially accessed through his devices, but wasn’t sure whether the RCMP was ever informed by the leadership. 

Lee claims that senior Liberal officials and representatives of the BC government engaged the Chinese consulate general in Vancouver.

“It’s a story that has international implications for Canada and our relationship with China, and that is why I will be writing to the federal attorney general, and asking the federal government to look into this, and offering BC’s assistance, to get to the bottom of whatever happened,” BC Attorney General David Eby told Global News. 

Now, Lee is warning Canadians about what he sees as an increasing encroachment in Canada by the Chinese government. 

“I have freedom of speech and association, but (the Chinese consulate) said I could not do that in Canada. There [are] many Chinese-Canadian associations that don’t consider themselves to be free, to speak against this interference.”

Nearly a third of foreign student-visa holders in Canada are believed to not be enrolled in a Canadian school, according to a new report from Statistics Canada. 

The StatsCan study, which was conducted by Marc Fenette, Yuquian Lu and Winnie Chan, found that 30.5% of student-visa holders were not attending a Canadian post-secondary school. 

Those circumventing the enrollment requirements are believed to be working in order to gain permanent residence status. 

Over the last four years, student visas have grown by 73%. In 2018, there were 573,000 student visa-holders in Canada, while there were also 5,502 student visas revoked because the individual failed to maintain the visa requirements. 

This isn’t a new trend. In 2009, only half of all foreign students were believed to be attending post-secondary school despite being in Canada on a study permit.

According to a separate report by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, nearly 10% of international students are suspected to not be meeting their student visa requirements. 

Officials from the immigration department have begun checking school acceptance letters for international students. In doing so, they have found that nearly 12% were fraudulent. 

The student visa rejection rate has also increased from 28% in 2014, to a high of 39% this year. 

In 2017, Canada was ranked sixth in the world in the number of international students admitted, with a total of 312,100 new visas issued. 

“Some work full-time in contravention of the terms of their study permit, which limits them to working no more than 20 hours a week when school is in session, plus full-time during scheduled school vacations,” Vancouver immigration lawyer Sam Hyman told the Vancouver Sun.

A Globe and Mail investigation found that crooked immigration consultants were collaborating with trucking companies to funnel international students into Canadian jobs. The trucking companies were given cash payments to write recommendation letters to help expedite permanent residency for the fake students. 

In one instance, a recording revealed how a consultant told students they would have to pay between $35,000 to $55,000 in order to get a job. 

Many of the international students who are sent out to work as truck drivers have no experience driving on icy Canadian winter roads. This has led to a number of tragic and deadly road accidents. 

A True North report found flaws in the English exam certification program allowed fraudsters to sell doctored certificates, making it even easier to get to Canada. 

A respected Toronto immigration lawyer explained to True North how fake students come to Canada on student visas but end up driving transport trucks, or worse. 

“They all went to work illegally, working 60-80 hours as truck drivers. You need drugs to stay awake for that long as a truck driver. But eventually, if you’re taking drugs, you’re useless as a truck driver. Then these undocumented people become unemployed and turn to crime. That’s why there is so much crime in places like Brampton,” said immigration lawyer Richard Boraks. 

Canada’s national intelligence agency took an interest in the Danforth shooting for at least six months after the tragic event unfolded.

True North’s Anthony Furey has this exclusive story in the Toronto Sun.

Read Anthony’s latest.

Lobby records show that Huawei Canada met with an official from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) on October 16th to discuss security and being included in the country’s 5G network. 

“Meetings with Government in discussion of Huawei Canada current and long term investments and business objectives in Canada. Discussions of matters related to domestic and global security assurance practices,” wrote the meeting’s subject matter details. 

The meeting, which took place six days before the federal election, involved Huawei president Eric Li and ISED Senior Assistant Deputy Minister Mitch Davies.

The main subject matter of the meeting involved telecommunications and international trade but also included issues such as academic research collaboration and foreign investment in the telecoms industry.

Huawei recently announced its plan to engage in a “diplomatically forceful” lobbying program targeting specific cabinet members. Among the ministers listed as potential lobbying targets was the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Navdeep Bains. 

After the election, the Trudeau government renamed the Ministry Innovation, Science and Economic Development to the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Industry (ISI). Melanie Joly now has the Economic Development file.

The Chinese company has emerged as a major player in the tech world. In 2018, Huawei replaced Apple as the second-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world. Its increasing presence has raised alarms regarding the company’s links to the Chinese government. 

True North reached out to the department and asked to clarify what the conversation was about and whether China’s detention of two Canadians was brought up.

“Department officials routinely meet with stakeholders in the telecommunications sector to discuss issues related to competition, choice, availability of services, and to the investment climate,” said ISI spokesperson Hans Parmar.

Canada’s allies, including those from the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance, have repeatedly warned the Prime Minister to not give the company access to the network due to national security concerns over the company’s ties with China.

While at the Halifax International Security Forum, U.S. lawmakers warned Canada that deciding to allow China into the network could jeopardize the allies’ intelligence relationship.

 “It would make it very difficult to have a full intelligence-sharing [relationship] with a partner who has installed a direct line to Beijing,” said Senator Angus King, who is also a member of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee. 

“When they get Huawei into Canada or other Western countries, they’re going to know every health record, every banking record, every social media post; they’re going to know everything about every single Canadian,” said White House National Security Adviser, Robert O’Brien, referring to the Chinese government.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to make a decision soon on whether the Chinese company will be allowed into Canada’s 5G network. 

The newly appointed Public Safety Minister Bill Blair has said that there is no timeline on when the decision would be made. 

“While the Government of Canada cannot comment on specific companies, an examination of emerging 5G technology and the associated security and economic considerations is underway. This review includes the careful consideration of our allies’ advice,” said ISI spokesperson Hans Parmar.

A lawyer who represented former SNC-Lavalin Vice-President Sami Bebawi is accused of trying to bribe a key witness in the company’s corruption trial. 

SNC-Lavalin and Bebawi are currently facing fraud and bribery charges surrounding the company’s operations in Libya while it was still being ruled by the dictator Muammar Gaddafi. 

Constantine Kyres, allegedly bribed the company’s former head of projects in Libya, Riadh Ben Aïssa, with a payment between $8 to $10 million. The offer was contingent on Aïssa changing his testimony to match that of Bebawi. 

“I was offered 10 million in return for taking over Sami Bebawi’s version,” Aïssa testified. 

An undercover RCMP officer posing as a consultant for Bebawi secretly recorded Kyres in 2013 making the offer.

“Why should we give 8 to 10 million if he does not even recognize the truth as we see it?” said Kyres. 

According to Kyres, Aïssa needed to change his testimony to receive the cash.

Earlier in the trial, it was revealed that Bebawi allegedly pocketed $26 million in funds funnelled through a shell corporation for himself and his uncle. The shell corporation transferred approximately $118 million in funds used in its dealings in Libya. 

Scandal has surrounded the Quebec corporation’s activities since the charges were first laid. Evidence shows that the company spent millions funding sex parties for Gaddafi’s son Saadi Gaddafi while in Canada. 

SNC-Lavalin paid around $2 million on prostitutes, travel and entertainment expenses for the dictator’s son. 

The scandals have even implicated the Trudeau government after former Justice Minister and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould accused the Prime Minister’s Office of trying to politically interfere in the case by getting the company a deferred prosecution agreement. 

Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion eventually ruled that Trudeau had broken ethics laws after directing officials to intervene in the matter.

“The authority of the Prime Minister and his office was used to circumvent, undermine and attempt to discredit the decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions as well as the authority of Ms. Wilson‑Raybould as the Crown’s chief law officer,” wrote Commissioner Dion.

Liberal MLA Cathy Rogers took to Facebook to call New Brunswick Minister of Education Dominic Cardy “Hitler-ish” over Cardy’s support for mandatory student vaccinations.

Rogers made the disparaging remarks about the Education Minister on Monday. The post which was originally posted in September 2019 has since been deleted. 

“Sounds a bit Hitler-ish to me. Kill everyone around me. I’m the only right person. Ugggg,” Rogers wrote.

The New Brunswick Progressive Conservative government will be making vaccinations mandatory in schools starting in 2021. The move was put forward by Cardy during a measles outbreak in the province earlier this year.

In screenshots shared on Facebook, Cardy told Rogers that her comment was completely inappropriate.

Cardy, who was born in England, also says the traumatic experiences his family faced during the Second World War made the comparison even more insulting.

Minutes later Rogers, who was formerly New Brunswick’s Finance Minister, apologized for comparing Cardy to Hitler but continued to berate the Minister.

”You are a bully Mr. Cardy. I’m not at all supportive of anyone autocratic or dictatorial. You cross the line regularly in my opinion.”

While large anti-vaccination activists have sprung up in New Brunswick to oppose mandatory vaccination legislation, the move is supported by the province’s chief medical officials.

Rogers says she believes vaccines work, but that the research is “inconclusive” as to whether vaccines can be harmful.

“There is some science on both sides,” she said in August.

“Science is always evolving and we learn to be informed by science, by ongoing data, and lived experience does [become part of] scientific data.”

On Wednesday, Rogers gave a public apology for her remarks in the legislature.

 “In my comment I crossed the line,” Rogers said.

“I do deeply regret having made the comment.”

True North reached out to Rogers but did not receive a response in time for publication of this article. 

The net realized income of Canadian farmers has fallen a shocking 41% since the beginning of 2018.

In a report released by Statistics Canada on Tuesday, 2018 was found to be the worst year for Canadian farmers in over a decade. Net realized income is the difference between a farmer’s cash receipts and their expenses.

“Realized net income of Canadian farmers declined 41.0% from 2017 to $4.2 billion in 2018 on sharply higher costs and a slight increase in receipts. It was the largest percentage decrease in realized net income since 2006 and followed a 2.8% decline in 2017,” Statistics Canada reported.

In 2018, farmer’s net income decreased in nine out of ten provinces, with the West hit the hardest.

“New Brunswick was the sole province to post a gain (+7.7%), attributable to increased cannabis and potato production. Lower canola receipts contributed to pushing realized net income in Alberta down 68.0%, accounting for more than one-third of the national decrease.”

With the market for most agricultural products stable, Statistics Canada attributes decreasing farm profits to rising costs.

Fuel costs rose substantially in 2018, rising 18.0%, representing one of the largest increases in expenses that year. With the introduction of the federal carbon tax, that cost is likely to have increased substantially in 2019.

Statistics Canada also reported that the interest expenses farmers paid were at their highest level since 1981, meaning farmers have been taking on significant debts to deal with rising costs.

The situation is particularly bad for farmers in the West, with sales of a Western staple, lentils, falling 35.1% after the Indian government enacted tariffs on the crop in late 2017.

The Trudeau government, which has a strained relationship with the Indian government, has so far failed to negotiate the removal of these trade barriers.

Canola receipts also decreased by 6.5% on average, with Alberta being hit hardest with a 16.1% decrease.

Canola farmers are likely to continue to struggle in 2019 after China banned Canadian canola in the summer.

There were some boosts to the agriculture sector in 2018 such as a 198.4% increase in cannabis revenues and a 14.1% increase in corn receipts but overall the agriculture sector remains on the decline for the second year in a row.

Shipping disruptions caused by a strike at CN Rail and continuing trade disputes with China and India suggest 2019 will not be any better for Canada’s struggling farmers.

A University of Guelph campus group recently released a statement calling for the Chinese flag to “fly high” over the university after students clashed over the Hong Kong protests.

On Sunday, pro-China supporters confronted pro-democracy students over a cannon which had been painted with the words “Stand with Hong Kong. Don’t take democracy for granted.” 

According to university tradition, the “Old Jeremiah” cannon is frequently painted by students. In response to the message, those siding with the Chinese government repainted the cannon red and yellow, to match the colours of the flag of China. 

The University of Guelph Chinese Students and Scholars Association (UGCSSA) posted a statement in a WeChat group condemning the protests as violent “separatism.” 

“We will use our power to peacefully protest against this anti-China behavior. Let the Five-Star-Red-Flag (Chinese national flag) fly high over the Guelph campus,” read the statement.

According to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, the associations are known to “receive guidance” from and are “coordinated” by the Communist Party of China (CCP).

“Despite the useful social services CSSAs [Chinese Students and Scholars Associations] provide for their members, they receive guidance from the CCP through Chinese embassies and consulates,” wrote the report. 

“Journalists and activists have also shown CSSAs to routinely coordinate with the Chinese government and to have been involved in the suppression of free speech and the harassment, intimidation, and surveillance of Chinese student activists.” 

One video of the clash shows Chinese students shouting at pro-democracy demonstrators. 

“Stand up for what’s right. Stand up for the Muslims in China, that’s what’s right,” says one pro-Hong Kong student.

“That’s not right!” replied one student on the pro-China side. 

According to student Daniel Ginovker, who was representing the Hong Kong democracy protestors, pro-democracy students fear that their identities will be shared with the Chinese government if they support the protests.

“If Guelph students are doxxed [have their personal information released], their family ties in China can suffer. And that’s one of the goals of the Chinese students with their cameras around campus yesterday,” said Ginovker

The university claimed that they are aware of the incident and spokesperson Lori Bona Hunt stated that the university stands behind the right of students to express their opinion. 

“No community, including a university community, is going to have a unanimous opinion on this topic or any issue. What is important is ensuring that U of G continues to be a place that values differing viewpoints, champions free speech, and promotes inquiry,” said Hunt.