MLA Junkets Has Crime Connections

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MLA Junkets Has Crime Connections

[ http://thetyee.ca/News/2016/07/25/Taiwa ... ign=250716 ]

Security expert says Canadians ‘naive’ in not seeing need for care in dealing with foreign lobbyists.

By Jeremy J. Nuttall , Today | TheTyee.ca

Jeremy J. Nuttall is The Tyee’s Parliament Hill reporter in Ottawa. Find his previous stories here. Support his work here.

Dozens of Canadian MPs and MLAs have accepted free trips from a Taiwanese business association despite reports that several of its directors are facing legal troubles.

National security expert Michel Juneau-Katsuya said the case shows Canadian politicians and governments haven’t grasped the need for vigilance in dealing with foreign lobby organizations.

“A common practice with politicians is not to pay attention to who they are talking to if they seem to be representing a certain group of the population, a certain segment that they are trying to seduce,” said Juneau-Katsuya, a former CSIS officer who is now CEO of the NorthGate Group, which helps companies guard against espionage activities.

“Unfortunately, the Canadian public and the Canadian politicians in general are extremely naive about those things,” he said.

The Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association has paid for more overseas air travel for Canadian MPs than any other organization in recent years.

The association has paid for flights, accommodation and meals for 35 MPs visiting Taiwan since 2013, often paying for spouses to accompany the elected officials.

The organization’s website shows it also paid for a visit by six BC Liberal MLAs in December, including Don McRae, Jane Thornthwaite, Darryl Plecas, Dan Ashton, Marvin Hunt and John Martin.

A delegation of Metro-Vancouver mayors also attended a sponsored trip last May. That group included Vancouver Councillor Raymond Louie, Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore, North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto and other municipal politicians.

The Taiwanese business association’s board includes at least three members implicated in criminal offences related to their business activities and one convicted member who fled the island, according to news reports.

The Tyee researched the association’s board members in English and Mandarin newspapers from Taiwan.

Those involved include:

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