RCMP won’t release China police contract despite pressure from Conservative, NDP – National
The RCMP says it will not release the full agreement it signed with China’s Ministry of Public Security unless Beijing agrees to do so, despite demands from the federal Conservatives and NDP for answers about its contents.
In a statement sent to Global News on Wednesday, RCMP spokesperson Robin Percival said the memorandum of understanding signed in January “outlines certain mechanisms” for police cooperation, information sharing and investigative assistance, but did not provide further details.
“The RCMP will not make public or share the contents of the MOU with a third party without the agreement of the other party,” Percival said.
“Therefore, the RCMP is not releasing the contents of the MOU at this time.”
The statement added that such agreements are “a common practice among national law enforcement agencies” seeking new or improved cooperation, and the RCMP has many existing MOUs with agencies around the world.
The MOU was one of several signed during Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trip to China in January, which included new cooperation agreements in forestry, trade, tourism, energy and food security.
While the full text of many of those MOUs has been released, that of China’s Ministry of Public Security has not.
A joint statement by Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping after their meeting said the two sides are “committed to strengthening legal cooperation to combat corruption and international crime, including telecommunications and cyber fraud and illegal synthetic drugs in accordance with their respective laws.”
“The two sides are committed to continuing their program of annual meetings of the working groups, in which anti-narcotics discussions are an important part, and to achieve tangible results to ensure the safety and security of the two people,” the statement added.
Public safety critic Frank Caputo and NDP public safety critic Jenny Kwan have separately written to Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree demanding the release of the MOU, saying the details deserve the attention of MPs and Canadians.
In his May 12 letter, which was also addressed to Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, Kwan said Canadians should know what information the RCMP is sharing with Beijing under the agreement.
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He also pointed out that China’s Ministry of Public Security has been repeatedly linked by international human rights organizations, journalists and democratic governments to intimidation campaigns abroad, and he wanted to know if there are safeguards in place to protect Canadian information from being used against dissidents, human rights defenders, journalists or communities living abroad.
“Fighting fentanyl trafficking, cybercrime, and international organized crime is undeniably important,” Kwan wrote.
“However, these goals cannot come without democratic transparency, public trust, or the security of vulnerable communities that are already facing threats from authoritarian state actors.”
He added that groups including pro-democracy activists from Hong Kong in Canada, as well as the Uyghur and Tibetan diasporas, said the secrecy surrounding the deal had created fear and uncertainty in their communities.
Caputo said last Thursday that he has not received a response from Anandasangaree to his February 9 letter, which highlighted the need for parliamentary vigilance in matters of public safety.
“At a time when Beijing is targeting democratic institutions and threatening Canadians in our country, secrecy is unacceptable,” Caputo said in a statement that also called for the release of the MOU.
“Canadians deserve to know exactly what the Liberals are agreeing to behind closed doors.”
Both Caputo and Kwan want the ministerial and department officials’ briefings on the RCMP-China deal to go to Parliament and relevant committees.
Kwan said in his letter that the government should “consult in some way” with diaspora communities about their security concerns, including the risk of foreign oppression.
The government provides few details to Parliament
Public Safety Canada recently answered some questions about the agreement in a written response to Conservative MP John Williamson’s question in Parliament.
The answer said that agreements with law enforcement agencies in other countries need to be kept confidential and are therefore not released to the public.
It said the agreement with China outlines areas of cooperation, including information exchange, investigative assistance, sharing of best practices in technology and training, and coordination with other domestic law enforcement agencies.
The memorandum stipulates that all cooperation should be carried out in accordance with domestic laws, international agreements and internal policies of each party, and guided by the principles of sovereignty, equality and benefit, the response added.
The exchange of information follows Canada’s legal framework and the memorandum does not create legally enforceable obligations, the response said.
“The sharing of information must be consistent with Canada’s legal framework and consistent with the mandate of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,” added public safety.
It also stated that respect for sovereignty is a fundamental principle of RCMP memorandums with foreign law enforcement agencies.
“Combating foreign interference, including foreign coercion, is a priority for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and this informs a risk assessment regarding information sharing and cooperation with external organizations,” public safety said.
The RCMP also has strong internal processes and mechanisms to ensure compliance with federal law in avoiding involvement in other countries’ abuses, the department said.
Caputo said Thursday those responses were unsatisfactory.
“The Liberal government is now asking Canadians to accept, without question, that sharing information with the same government does not pose a threat,” he said in a statement. “I think that’s unbelievable.”
— via files from The Canadian Press
