'I will not bend': Vancouver MP Jenny Kwan says she won't allow China to erase history
OTTAWA - The briefing with Canada's spy agency, warning Jenny Kwan that she is a target of foreign interference by China, took roughly an hour.
It took less than a second, she says, for her to decide that she wouldn't let Beijing weaken her resolve.
The Hong Kong-born member of Parliament has been outspoken against human-rights violations by the Chinese Communist Party and often advocates for the country's Uyghur Muslim minority.
Kwan said in an interview with The Canadian Press that that's what made her an “evergreen” target of the Chinese government, which has had its eye on her since before the 2019 federal election.
She said she received a briefing from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service last week. She was not able to divulge the details of the intelligence they shared due to security laws.
But she did not notice the interference when it was happening, she said.
“My takeaway from that briefing is this: No matter what foreign interference is being done to me, I will not relent on the work that I'm doing,” said Kwan, who is a New Democrat.
She said she was left with a sense that the fight for human rights is more important than ever, especially as the 34th anniversary of China's Tiananmen Square crackdown approaches on Monday.
“It's not something that I had when I was in Hong Kong. My parents did not enjoy it. My grandparents did not enjoy it,” said Kwan, adding that she is adamant she won't be silenced or intimidated.
The 1989 crackdown in Beijing saw tanks roll into the city and hundreds, if not thousands, of pro-democracy student protesters killed.
Mabel Tung, chairwoman of the Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement, said many people in Hong Kong will be marking the day in private.
That's because the city's freedoms have shrunk since Beijing imposed a tough national security law following massive pro-democracy protests in 2019. Since then, Tiananmen-related statues have been removed from universities and books about the event have been pulled off shelves.
“There is an active approach to erase this history,” said Kwan, who emigrated from Hong Kong when she was nine.
She participated in a pro-democracy march with Tung last weekend in Vancouver to remember the protestors killed in the massacre. Many Hong Kong diaspora members wore masks so their family members back home were not punished.
“We encourage people to wear masks, wear sunglasses and wear a hat so that their faces will not be identified. They're really scared that they can be recognized,” Tung said.
“People don't want to be put in jail for anything that is not a crime.”
Kwan said she marched for the parents who cannot light a candle outside their homes to publicly honour their dead children because it would be deemed a violation.
“I hope those of us outside of Hong Kong and China would find the courage to speak up and let the people of Hong Kong we stand with them and that our voice is an extension of their voice,” Kwan said.
She acknowledged that there's a risk to continuing to speak out while she is being targeted by Beijing.
“People might distance themselves from me or they're worried what implications this has and how it could affect them,” Kwan said.
“Those are definitely real concerns, but I cannot allow for anything to deter me from doing this work. If I'm afraid to speak up, what does that mean for everyday people?”
Tung said the many ethnic Chinese people in Vancouver are happy that Kwan is defending their freedoms.
“We know we're not alone.This person is with us to walk this road together,” Tung said. Still, she admitted that she worries about Kwan's safety.
But the MP is unshakeable in her belief: “I will not bend. Too much is at stake.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.