B.C. Premier David Eby speaks during a press conference at the legislature in Victoria, on Feb. 12.CHAD HIPOLITO/The Canadian Press
B.C. Premier David Eby says allegations from a former Vancouver mayor that a provincial cabinet minister was the target of a police investigation into alleged collaboration with China are false, adding that he has never been briefed by either the RCMP or Canadian Security Intelligence Service about any of his NDP caucus members.
Mr. Eby made the comments Tuesday in the provincial legislature, a day after former Vancouver mayor and former NDP MP Kennedy Stewart levelled the allegations in a radio interview. Mr. Stewart told CKNW’s Jas Johal federal lawyers had interviewed him about a provincial minister that he said is being investigated by the RCMP for collaborating with China. He did not elaborate, but said “nothing is being done” about the RCMP investigation.
Mr. Eby said during Question Period that he has not been told by the RCMP or Canada’s spy agency that they are concerned about any member of his NDP caucus. He said he would “not hesitate to act” if he were.
“At a minimum, if there was concern about a cabinet member, given the sensitive information that cabinet has access to, I would remove that person from cabinet,” Eby told the legislature.
When asked by an Opposition party MLA about what he has done to ensure no other cabinet ministers had inappropriate relations with foreign governments, he complained that politician was “slandering the government caucus with false allegations.”
Mr. Stewart, who lost reelection during a Vancouver municipal race that CSIS has said was affected by Chinese interference, alleged that Mr. Eby and many members of his Cabinet are aware of the investigation.
Kennedy Stewart responds to questions during a news conference in Vancouver, B.C., in October, 2022. Mr. Stewart lost the 2022 municipal election to Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Mr. Stewart declined to elaborate with more details, noting he had reported his concerns to Ottawa and had to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Reached by phone Tuesday, he declined to comment.
Mr. Eby said he has been briefed multiple times by the RCMP and CSIS and always asks them: “Is there any individual, any company, any information at all that you need to share with me that would influence government’s decisions about access to information, contracts or anything else?” He has never heard back about any elected member of his government, he said.
He added that to combat foreign interference multiple people in his government administration have obtained top-secret clearance so they can access critical information about national security, but a spokesperson from his office declined to provide a list of these names.
Later, the NDP government’s House leader Mike Farnworth, who is also the Minister of Transportation and Transit, told reporters that Mr. Stewart’s allegation is “ridiculous.”
“If any member of our caucus or Cabinet was involved in these allegations, they would not be a member of our Cabinet and they would not be a member of out caucus,” he said.
Staff Sergeant Kris Clark, a spokesperson for the B.C. RCMP, said his agency was aware of Mr. Stewart’s comments but Mounties do not confirm any investigation, nor identify “any person, business or entity who may be subject to an investigation, until such time as charges have been laid.”
Several months after Mr. Stewart lost the 2022 municipal election to Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, The Globe reported that Canada’s spy agency had determined China’s diplomatic mission in Vancouver meddled in the campaign.
A Jan. 10, 2022, CSIS report viewed by The Globe outlined how China’s then-consul-general, Tong Xiaoling, discussed mentoring – or as the report quoted her, “grooming” – Chinese-Canadian municipal politicians for higher office to advance Beijing’s interests.
Ms. Tong sought to elect pro-Beijing politicians to city council in the October 2022 municipal election in which Mr. Stewart lost to Mr. Sim by margin of nearly 37,000 votes.
During his term as mayor, Mr. Stewart drew criticism from the Chinese government for suspending meetings with its diplomats after it put sanctions on Conservative MP Michael Chong, a friend of his and critic of Beijing, and strengthening ties with Taiwan, a self-ruled province that Beijing wants to annex.
The public inquiry into foreign interference accused China of meddling in Canadian elections, harassing diaspora communities and stealing this country’s technology.
Last week, CSIS released its latest annual report that found China remain one of the five main perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage in this country.