Liberal candidate for Markham–Unionville, Peter Yuen, has deflected questions about his past affiliations with pro-China organizations.
The Liberals handpicked the former Toronto deputy police chief to replace disgraced Liberal MP Paul Chiang as their candidate in the riding after Chiang called for a Conservative opponent to be kidnapped and turned into China for a bounty.
Yuen’s connections to Beijing-linked organizations like the Jiangsu Commerce Council of Canada and his participation in pro-CCP events have risen to the forefront.
The Liberal candidate’s past advocacy arrives on the backdrop of an ongoing foreign interference campaign by Chinese state-affiliated media boosting “rockstar” Carney to the Chinese diaspora in Canada, as revealed by the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force.
In a statement to the Globe and Mail, Yuen defended his record.
“I have built a great career committed to public service and have a track record of maintaining the health, safety and well-being of those in our community as Toronto’s former Deputy Police Chief. I’m ready to build a stronger community for the people of Markham-Unionville,” wrote Yuen.
Carney’s choice of Yuen, who has attended events organized by pro-Beijing groups and was even videotaped singing a communist Chinese anthem has raised concerns among Chinese dissidents and political observers.
Yuen has spoken at events hosted by the Toronto branch of the Chinese Freemasons, an organization that actively advocates for the annexation of Taiwan by China, in line with the CCP’s ‘One China’ policy.
He was also listed as an honorary director of the Jiangsu Commerce Council of Canada, an organization with ties to Beijing’s United Front foreign interference campaign, which the Canadian government has identified as a vehicle for China’s influence abroad.
While Yuen now claims his role with the commerce council ended a decade ago, he has not directly addressed whether he supports Taiwan’s self-determination, nor Hong Kong or Tibet, and has never publicly condemned China’s human rights abuses against religious and ethnic minority groups.
Adding to the controversy, Yuen was also a board member of NOIC Academy, a private school flagged by intelligence officials for election interference.
Canadian intelligence agencies have raised concerns that students at the school were threatened by the Chinese Consulate into voting for preferred candidates.
Despite the increasing scrutiny of foreign influence in Canadian politics, Carney and the Liberal party have doubled down on questionable candidates like Yuen.
Carney himself has met with executives from the same commerce council in which Yuen played an active role.
During their meeting, Jiangsu Commerce Council of Canada leaders described Carney’s rise in the Liberal Party as an “important turning point” in China-Canada relations.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has pointed to reports from Canada’s election interference watchdog and CSIS, which found that Beijing has been attempting to shape public opinion among the Chinese diaspora in favour of Mark Carney.
“He was just in China a few months ago arranging a quarter billion dollar loan for his company — a company in which he still has millions of dollars of interest,” said Poilievre. “And, now we find out that the government in Beijing is actively interfering to campaign on behalf of Mr. Carney.”