The Chinatown gate is seen Thursday, March 9, 2023 in Montreal. Two Montreal-area Chinese community groups say they will file a lawsuit against the RCMP if it doesn't apologize for alleging that they hosted secret Chinese government "police stations." THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
MONTREAL – Two Chinese community groups in the Montreal area say they will sue the RCMP if they don’t apologize for alleging that the groups hosted secret Chinese government “police stations.”
In a lawyer’s letter sent to the federal police force today by the Service à la Famille Chinoise du Grand Montréal and the Centre Sino-Québec de la Rive-Sud, the groups also demand $2.5 million in alleged damages.
The RCMP said in March that it was investigating allegations that Chinese government officials operating out of the two groups’ facilities were intimidating and harassing members of Montreal’s Chinese community.
In the lawyer’s letter, the groups call those allegations false and defamatory.
The groups say they’ve lost government funding, forcing them to cut back programs, including French language education and supports for victims of domestic violence.
The RCMP declined to comment on the lawsuit threat but said the investigation remains ongoing.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 1, 2023.
