Two Chinese-Canadian community centres in the Montreal area have filed a $4.9-million defamation lawsuit against the RCMP over the force’s public comments about its investigation into whether these facilities were being used as illegal police stations by Beijing.
The Chinese Family Services of Greater Montreal, and the Centre Sino Québec de la Rive-Sud, in Brossard, along with Xixi Li, the director of the two organizations, are named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed Wednesday with the Quebec Superior Court.
This follows a formal notice the groups sent to the RCMP asking for $2.5-million in December over the same allegations.
In March, 2023, the RCMP told media it was investigating “alleged Chinese police stations in Quebec” and confirmed for journalists that these were the two community centres. The RCMP said it was “carrying out police actions aimed at detecting and disrupting these foreign state-backed criminal activities, which may threaten the safety of persons living in Canada.”
The investigation unfolded as a major debate began in Canada over foreign interference by the Chinese government. A public inquiry probing interference in the democratic process by China, Russia and others was launched in September.
But a year after the RCMP announced its investigation, “the Chinese community is still in the dark as to any specific allegations of wrongdoing,” the Quebec organizations said in a news release accompanying the lawsuit. Meanwhile, “funding cuts and smear campaigns” followed the force’s comments.
The centres allege that they lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding from the federal and provincial governments, the Canadian Red Cross and others because of the RCMP’s statements, which in turn affected their services. They also say various contracts were cancelled because of the allegations, for a total of $3,262,780.55 in material damages.
The centres offer integration and support services, including French-language classes for newcomers and home visits for elders of the Chinese community, the lawsuit says.
“The plaintiff organizations saw their reputation completely destroyed, not only in Quebec, but also nationally,” the lawsuit says, and received “numerous hateful and worrisome e-mails.”
Ms. Li also suffered repercussions, including being forced to resign from a board of directors and undergoing “considerable stress” and insomnia. She and the centres are asking for $1.65-million in moral and punitive damages.
According to the lawsuit, the RCMP responded to the December formal notice on Feb. 23, “reiterating that the investigation into the applicants is still ongoing” and denying the RCMP committed any fault.
The RCMP did not immediately answer The Globe and Mail’s request for comment.