RCMP closes investigation into alleged Chinese ‘police stations’ in Montreal area

The RCMP has closed its investigation into alleged clandestine Chinese police stations in the Montreal area, and it is not recommending charges.

The federal police force says it will, however, continue its efforts to combat foreign interference, harassment or threats of harm targeting the Chinese diaspora.

The closure comes as the RCMP faces a $4.9-million defamation lawsuit from the groups named in the probe. In an email, Cpl. Erique Gasse declined to comment in detail, noting the ongoing legal proceedings.

The legal action was filed in March 2024 by Chinese Family Services of Greater Montreal, the Centre Sino-Québec de la Rive-Sud and their executive director, Xixi Li.

The groups accuse the RCMP of publicly linking them to foreign interference and of hosting illegal police stations on behalf of the People’s Republic of China without properly investigating the allegations. The centres have consistently denied the claims.

When they filed the suit, the organizations said the allegations have already cost them $3.2 million, including lost government funding.

Li, also a city councillor in Brossard, Que., said on Friday that she is relieved the investigation is over. She said it felt like her life stopped for several years, and she was insulted by some people.

“For almost three years, I was treated as if I was already guilty, yet the RCMP never met with me,” she said, thanking those who continued to support her through the ordeal.

She said she remains committed to serving the public with integrity, transparency and perseverance.

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said it was not the first time the police force had been sued for investigating, but he maintained there were credible grounds for the probe.

The investigation dates back to 2022 when the Spain-based human rights group Safeguard Defenders reported that more than 50 such stations exist worldwide, including three in the Greater Toronto Area.

Allegations later spread to Quebec and British Columbia, leading to the naming of the two Montreal-area groups.

At the time, RCMP officers said the stations were used to put pressure on members of the Chinese community in Canada, sometimes by threatening friends or relatives living in China.

The RCMP also noted that some of the activity it was investigating “is occurring at locations where other legitimate services to the Chinese Canadian Community are being offered.”