Please click here to sign the statement.
In the face of the urgent risk of losing the only two Chinese community social service centres in Québec, the Chinese Family Services of Greater Montreal and the Centre Sino-Québec, the undersigned organizations are proud to participate in the Coalition to Save Chinese Québec Institutions (Coalition pour sauver les institutions sino-québecois).
Since they were publicly named by the RCMP on March 9th as being the objects of investigations on the suspicions of being Chinese “police stations,” these two community centres still have no inkling about what specific offenses they are suspected to have committed. An announcement by the RCMP in June, 2023 that they have put a stop to all ‘illegal’ activities only raised more questions as the community wondered what illegal activities had ended. The RCMP provided no evidence or any information.
What is known for certain is that following vague allegations, many social services and community activities were ended due to funding cuts by the provincial and federal governments, such as French language classes in Chinatown, employment services for new immigrants, social activities for seniors, youth programmes, and post-covid recovery grants. Many community workers were laid off as the remaining handful of staff juggle the numerous needs of the community at large. The Charter rights of the Chinese-Québeckers to the presumption of innocence, to know the specific allegations against them, to their freedoms of expression and association, have all been violated.
The latest blow came in September when the bank holding the mortgage of the building owned by the Chinese Family Service which is used for social services, cultural activities, seniors’ leisure classes, and community innovation hub announced that it would not renew the mortgage when the present contract ends in March 2024. This building was also the location of the successful 3-day forum on Reimagining Chinatown which brought together experts from 10 different North American cities and 5 exhibitions which span historial, cultural and urban visions of Chinatown.
Originally built as the Chinese Cultural Centre, it was lost to creditors once already and the community is at imminent risk of losing this precious community gathering space again, this time partly due to the impact of the RCMP’ so far unsubstantiated and sinophobic public declarations.
Senator Yuen Pau Woo, in a press conference in May demanded the RCMP to “Provide information, clarity, and in the meantime, don’t create more problems for the community.”
This “witch hunt” of an investigation is having real life consequences on the Chinese Canadian community in Montreal. We are in grave danger of losing a service organization that the community has built over the last 50 years. There will be a tremendous void in the Chinese community if the CFS is forced to close by an endless RCMP investigation. As equal members of Québec society, we reiterate our commitment to defend the human and social economic rights of our fellow Québeckers to their institutions and social services.
Disclaimer：
Voices & Bridges publishes opinions like this from the community to encourage constructive discussion and debate on important issues. Views represented in the articles are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the V&B.