The online survey of representative provincial samples of 804 Ontario and 803 British Columbia adults also finds that respondents question whether the promise of lower consumer prices down the road will actually materialize.

Effect of the HST

Overall, two thirds of respondents in the two provinces (ON 67%, BC 68%) say the HST has severely or moderately affected the finances of their household. Three-in-ten British Columbians (31%) report being “severely affected” by the new tax, along with one-in-four Ontarians (24%).

Less than one-in-ten respondents in the two provinces (ON 7%, BC 9%) say the HST has not affected the finances of their household at all.

Personal Experience

Ontarians report being particularly impacted by two items that now include HST. Four-in-five respondents in Ontario say the total cost of gasoline (79%) and their electricity bill (80%) has increased “significantly” or “moderately” since the HST came into effect. These two items were not affected by the introduction of the HST in British Columbia.

Ontario residents also report noticing an increase in costs for other goods and services, including basic groceries (63%), their cell phones (54%) and adult clothing (47%). All of these items have not experienced a price increase as a result of the HST, according to the province’s government.

A large majority of British Columbians (89%) say dining out has become more expensive, along with basic groceries (76%), cell phone bills (63%) and adult clothing (61%).

Fewer people in the two provinces are reporting a higher cost for children’s clothing (BC 29%, ON 17%) and dry cleaning (24% on both).

Purchasing Behaviour

One-in-five Ontarians (22%) and three-in-ten British Columbians (29%) say they are buying much less than they used to since the HST came into effect.

While two-in-five Ontarians (42%) claim that the HST has not impacted their purchasing behaviour so far, only 28 per cent of British Columbians feel the same way.

Lower Prices?

The two provincial governments have argued that the implementation of the HST will ultimately lead to lower consumer prices. A sizeable proportion of Ontarians (65%) and British Columbians (72%) believe that the total cost of most goods and services that now carry the HST will increase over the next two years, rather than decrease.

The likelihood of lower consumer prices down the road rings true for only one-in-twenty respondents in the two provinces (ON 4%, BC 5%).

The Provincial Governments

The Government of Ontario does not get high marks on the way it explained its decision to implement the HST. Only 12 per cent of respondents think it did a good job, with four-in-five respondents (81%) saying it performed badly (36%) or very badly (45%) in this regard.

Still, the numbers are nowhere near the level of animosity that is palpable in British Columbia. Only three per cent of respondents think the BC Government did a good job in explaining its decision to implement the HST. About one-in-five (18%) say their efforts were handled badly, but three-in-four (75%) say the BC Government did a very bad job.

Analysis

The survey shows that the implementation of the HST has affected the two provinces in dissimilar ways. The impact in Ontario appears incongruous: Ontarians report noting an impact in areas where the new tax regime had an effect (like gasoline and electricity costs), but also in areas where the new regime does not represent a change in the way these goods and services were taxed prior to July 1, 2010. Further, a significant proportion of this province’s residents report that, while their household finances have been impacted by the tax, they are not yet changing their purchasing behaviour.

In British Columbia, which does not have to deal with heftier gas or electricity bills, the negative reaction to the tax appears to be more consistent and deeper. Three-in-ten British Columbians say the HST has severely affected the finances of their household, and three-in-five have already modified their purchasing behaviour. The public is almost universal in panning the way the tax was implemented and explained by the provincial administration.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

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However, Lau also said Amy Ng is so busy caring for the lone surviving son Jason, who is still in coma, that the plan may still be on hold for another while.

The Leungs are all Canadians and they were holding Canadian passport when travelling in the Philippines. Media reports say that the Canadian embassy in HK still hasn’t paid Amy Ng a visit to date.

Amy Ng has never asked for any financial assistance from the Canadian embassy.

That make me wonder, yes, Amy Ng didn’t ask for help…But when so many people in HK and Canada (Chinese and Filipinos included) are praying for the Leung’s (look at the amount of facebook pages dedicated to Amy Ng and Jason Leung), it’s very hard to imagine that no representatives from Canada even care to make a visit to the widow just out of courtesy. Perhaps it’s a true statement as many callers to recent radio phone-ins say: “Us Chinese are never seen as real Canadians by Canada and the Canadian public.”

Meanwhile, Amy Ng issued an open letter asking all of us not to cry for them any more and encourage us to live on with strength:

Amy Ng Yau-woon lost her husband and two daughters in the Manila bloodbath. Her remaining child is fighting for his life in hospital. But the tragic mom’s message to the people of Hong Kong is: “Please don’t cry for us.”

The brave woman, whose family was shattered in last week’s tragedy, said in an open letter that Hong Kong must move on despite her personal suffering.

She wants to concentrate on taking care of her 19-year-old son, Jason Leung Song-xue, heartened by the support and wishes of the Hong Kong people.

“I don’t want to see all of you crying because of our sadness,” Ng wrote. “I know the people of Hong Kong are very concerned about Jason’s condition and from the bottom of my heart I thank all of you for the gifts and your caring hearts.

“I hope to take the liberty to encourage everyone to live on with strength and to return to normal life,” she said in the letter, read out by Tuen Mun Hospital’s head of neurosurgery, Dawson Fong To-sang, who is treating Jason.

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• Anti-Chinese graffiti not ‘hate’? (42)

This city council needs some really good floggings!! How could they justify the “neccessity” of spending taxpayers’ money like that? Once again, I’m so glad that I don’t live in City of Vancouver.

This Vision Vancouver council is soooo political… everything they do carries a political goal. They are almost as partisan as the federal Conservatives. >:<

From Citycaucus.com:

Mayor Gregor Robertson decreed that he and council, plus his staff need Apple iPads and state-of-the-art iPhone 4 handsets, and 15 of each of the units are to be ordered through Vancouver’s IT department.

In case you’ve not noticed already, Canada’s Blackberry devices produced by Ontario’s Research in Motion company, are the device du jour for cities and other levels of government across the continent. However, there is that “hipness factor” which apparently is drawing Hizonner into the Apple fold.

Yes, it seems that in order to be seen as a “progressive” government, it makes more sense for Robertson & co., and the City Manager to be carrying around iPads and iPhone 4s.

Now, of course this produces massive headaches for IT departments, who by nature have one set of support and security protocols across the board. But we’re told that the City Manager effectively told staff – if that’s what the Mayor wants, that’s what he gets.

Not to forget how this council wasted money on emptying the city hall and moving staff around the city, paying millions of unnecessary rent. Listen to the mayor’s lame excuse here. No wonder the staff morality is at all time low.

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CTV made a mistake on the title of Hong Kong’s chief executive Donald Tsang during its early reports of the tour bus carnage.

Well, maybe that was the reason why the Philippine president did not return Tsang’s call on the first day? :)

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Jessie Leung peeped out from the tour bus just hours before she was killed. (cropped from TV footage)

It turns out that Ken Leung wasn’t the sole hero of his family. According to the account of a survivor-witness, Jessie Leung, 14, took two bullets for her brother Jason, 18, when the gunman aimed the gun towards Jason’s head.

All five members of the Leung’s family are Canadian citizens. Ken Leung (58), daughter Doris Leung (21) and Jessie Leung (14) were all killed on the bus. Jason (18) suffers blunt force trauma to his head and is still in ICU after a head surgery. Mother Amy Ng (53) was slightly injured.

Earlier reports say that Ken Leung bravely charged at the gunman in an attempt to save the other passengers on board. He was described as a hero by many Canadian media.

Oriental Daily of Hong Kong (story in Chinese) interviewed Chan Kwok Chu, a tourist who survived the ordeal with (only) his hand being smashed by bullets.

“He (the gunman) was shooting at people’s heads! He was determined to kill us all!” said an emotional Chan.

Chan said the HK tourist guide was the first to be shot. After that, about 5 members of the tourist group jumped at the gunman, attempting to grab his gun and point it towards the bus roof. “Two or three were killed at this instant,” Chan said.

The gunman then began shooting at people’s heads, one person at a time, consecutively.

When the gunman aimed the gun towards Jason, his 14-year-old sister Jessie threw herself over Jason and took two bullets at her back. She died instantly.

What a heart-breaking story.

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• Anti-Chinese graffiti not ‘hate’? (42)

A female police officer poses and smiles for a "photo op". (HK Oriental Daily)

Students take group photo in front of the bus. (Apple Daily)

say cheeeeeze (Ming Pao)

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Amy Ng's husband was killed when trying to save his wife from bullets. (Reuters)

A family of five was crushed after 3 were killed, 1 is still in critical condition with gun shoot to the head during the tour bus carnage in the Philippines. CBC reports they might be holding Canadian passports.

Three of the nine people killed in a hostage-taking aboard a tour bus in the Philippines on Monday may have been Canadian citizens, media reported Tuesday.

Jessie Leung, 14, and Doris Leung, 21, were killed in gunfire during the hostage-taking, their mother told Hong Kong Cable Television. The two, who were students in Canada, were travelling in the Philippines as Canadian citizens, she said.

Their father, Ken Leung, 58, was also killed. He was a Canadian dual-citizen living in Hong Kong, CTV reported.

Ken Leung’s wife Amy Ng was unhurt, but their son, Jason Leung, 18, remained in hospital after surgery on a head wound.

Tour organizers had said earlier that five of the people involved in the hostage-taking were carrying Canadian passports.

What shocks me AGAIN is the reaction of many Canadians to this tragedy who left pages of comments on the CBC website. Rather than showing any sympathy they are pointing fingers at the dual citizenship of the Leung family (nonetheless, have to stress that there are many more comments that condemn the “distastefulness” of picking up on the victims’ citizenship).

Why would a tragic story like this could quickly turn into a citizenship/racism debate? The Leung family isn’t even asking for the help from the Canadian embassy…

Here’re a few examples:

Yeah sure part time Canadians again???

Why do you hold a “dual-citizenship” and claim you pay your taxes in Canada? Aren’t you in fact a dual-citizen for this very reason? If you are in fact in North Vancouver, then do you reside in Canada long enough during the year to pay your FULL share of Canadian taxes? How much tax do you pay on your holdings in Hong Kong? If you want to lay your love of Canada on the line then I will call you a part-time Canadian patriot – who uses dual citizenship to counter-balance the tax system to your advantage. I won’t call you a part-time Canadian, however your heart lies in your wallet and you’ll swear allegiance to the best tax policy that you can benefit from. Don’t give us your part-time patriot stance unless you tell us you pay 100% Canadian taxes. You only get “half” the right to advocate.

Most people around the world have a Canadian passport. It is as common as having a credit or debit card..we give them to everyone..

More Canadians of convenience.When are we going to wake up and insist that immigrants that choose to come to Canada actually live here and contribute and not just visit for the benefits?Just like the Tamils who are under no threat at home being allowed to stay.They are simply cue jumpers taking the place of those that play by the rules.We are becoming a laughing stock who will fold with a little well planned public demonstration.Enough already!!

Canadian passports should only be for Canadians who live, contribute in building and defending our economy and Canadian values.

China does not recognize dual nationality. The Article 3 of China Nationality Law holds that People’s Republic of China will not admit the dual nationality of a Chinese citizen. Moreover, the Article 9 of China Nationality Law declares that as soon as a Chinese takes a foreign citizenship, he will automatically lose his Chinese citizenship.

These people were all living in China under a Aliens’ Permanent Residence in China. Official website: http://www.chinaembassy-fi.org/eng/lsfw/t415689.htm. Many thousands of Chinese who left during the pre-1997 panic, returned to China with open arms under this arrangement. Thumbs down but do your research before you blindly come to the defence of some poor, picked on immigrant and accuse your fellow Canadian of the old standby…racism..

The sooner many of you admit to the truths about our irresponsible and mis-guided immigration admission practises, the blatant abuses of our system, and the ineptness of the department to maintain any form of control and monitoring, the the sooner we can get things fixed and begin to attract loyal, stable immigrants to help this country grow stronger.

If the Chinese government had not meddled in this crisis in the first place, the Philippines would have been free to exercise its own judgment as to when to storm the bus, etc without China breathing down its neck. China often meddles in others’ affairs!

All those immigrants from Hong Kong and Lebenon who just want Canadian citizenship in case violence was to breakout in their country and they can flee at taxpayers expense to Canada I dont welcome.

disagree with the assertions on here that if you hold a Canadian passport you’re automatically Canadian. The law may technically be that now because our immigration system is so whacked out we give citizenship to people who fill the most minimum requirements and then go back and live in their homeland. I’m sorry bleeding hearts, but this is wrong and we need to UNcitizenize people who just use this passport as a convenience. They are NOT Canadian even if you’re twisted minds say they are.

As for the article, it is somewhat unclear if the 2 girls were actually living here (which then indeed they would be Canadian)or were just students going to school here and their family was in Hong Kong.

Ok its like this… If you come here and learn our ways and mix in with society you are Canadian. If you come here and hide at home and send money back to your country then you are not a Canadian,
Simple.

Wow… the Chinese government’s angry about murderous behavior?

This one from the Vancouver Sun:

The fact is, the Leung’s aren’t asking Canadian taxpayers for help!!

More Canadians of convenience – never paying taxes here – getting in trouble in some rathole – now the Canadian taxpayers are to be on the hook to sort out someone elses problems.

Rebukes:

I bet if the victims in question were white Canadians, we wouldn’t hear so much as a single blip from those loudly croaking about “Canadians of convenience”.

I am shocked by some of the racism comments on this forum toward to Chinese Canadians. Canadians are supposedly open mind and multicultural. Why are you questioning person who is holding a Canadian passport as if they are still foreigners to Canada? I am not sure if Canada is as friendly country as it looks, especially its attitude towards to Chinese Canadian in general. Remember, most immigrants from HK to Canada are well educated or financially well off therefore they make contribution to Canadian society as well as building bridge between HK and Canada. Whereas some of your Canadians are taking advantage of the social welfare system that is partially supported by these HK people in Canada. Please peoople; this is a difficult moment for the killed hostages. Not time to make racist and fun comment to them. Rising China should not bring so much hate toward to Chinese people; you should see it as a great contribution to mankind.

There was an article about those two Canadians getting killed on a tour bus just like this one (albeit through an accident and in Switzerland instead). You can still find it by googling it.

No comments appeared on that article about “Canadians of convenience.” In fact, one of the top comments (with over 300+ agreements, and very few disagreements) was by someone saying that they were a “Canadian living in Switzerland.”

Even though there are “Canadians” who would admit to having a Canadian passport and living in an European country (ie, UK, France, Switzerland)… the comments about “Canadians of convenience” only come up when the story involves a NON-European country.

Some people will try to say that we shouldn’t pull out the “racism card.” But I think it’s pretty clear that racism is a strong factor behind these comments considering the amount of hypocrisy on stories that are about Europeans versus non-Europeans.

I am deeply disturbed by your comments about whether the victims are real Canadians. I am of Chinese descent, came to Canada from Hong Kong at age 5, have been educated in the Ontario system ever since. I have contributed to society, to taxes, and to the education of future Canadians in my role as a teacher with the YCDSB. I consider myself Canadian and am proud of my dual heritage. My family have made an honest living in Canada and consider this country are home. We frequently travel to East Asia and South East Asia for vacation with our relatives who reside in Hong Kong. From your comments, I am appalled to find that if anything were to happen to families like mine in a foreign country, we will be looked at as aliens, outsiders, and undeserving of sympathy.

Why is it SOOOOO hard to believe that Chinese Canadians, might well have traveled during the summer holiday to Hong Kong to visit friends and relatives and then go over to Manila (a short 2 hour hop from Hong Kong) for a simple bus tour???

All the comments about “handing out” passports and Chinese Canadians should “stay in the country” are insane and touch on blatant racism!!!

Should Canadians of European descent also be restricted from traveling?

Ashamed to be even remotely associated with people like that, even just through citizenship. This was a horrible tragedy on many levels. Country of origin should not matter. Human beings were terrorized and killed. Let’s give the racism a rest and let the healing begin….

I just love how CBC decided to call them “Canadian passport holders” rather than JUST Canadians. Are there non-Canadian Canadian passport holders? Does the government issue passports to non-citizens? No. So they are just Canadians.

CBC is framing their stories with more and more bias these days. Anyone who has ever studied marketing can tell you that these are done on purpose to pursue an agenda. Even CNN would have exercise such bias. I’m switching over to CTV.

CBC has handled this story clumsily at best. “Travelling in the Philippines as Canadian citizens” is a long-winded way of saying that they were Canadian citizens. The five people “carrying Canadian passports” are Canadian citizens, otherwise they would have been carrying travel documents or identity certificates (http://www.ppt.gc.ca/non-cdn/index.aspx?lang=eng). If the CBC cannot confirm they were Canadians, they shouldn’t be putting it in the headline. This is amateur, shoddy work that would have been cleaned up in any high school paper.

I was born in HK and raised in Canada for more than 20 years. I pay tax ever since I have to. Why Canadian government not willing to step in or even offer any help? Those two victims confirmed entered Philippines with a valid Canadian passport. So what’s the meaning of taking the oath but not being protected or helped?

I find it extremely saddening that, here we are, faced with a story of immense tragedy, and yet the boards is filled with hatred and debate about the true “citizenship” of those killed.

You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Have you no respect for the dead?

If we changed all the races in this story, would that finally elicit some shred of sympathy, compassion, and human decency from you?

All within 5 hours of the onset of the incident. The HKSAR leader was phoning the Filipino President (to which he ignored), as well as having a press conference announcing how the situation is being handle with China’s foreign affairs people (HK’s foreign affairs are handled through Beijing), and getting assurance from Philippines’ authorities the safety of the hostages.

Where were the people from the Canadian embassy? Over 24 hours later our Foreign Affiars people still can’t confirm if there were Canadians citizen involved!?

Is our Manila embassy only good for handling remittance and issuring work permits??

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MP: Writer has wrong Wong
Wong never raised cash for lobbyists

Richmond Conservative MP Alice Wong has never hidden the fact she considers herself an evangelical Christian.

She is on a list of “MPs to help you pray” on the noapologies.ca website.

And the Conservative MP admits she has attended functions sponsored by the Canadian Alliance for Social Justice and Family Values Association (CASJAFVA) — a Chinese-Canadian Christian organization that has lobbied against things like gay marriage.

But she denies ever raising money for the organization, as suggested in a new book called the Armageddon Factor by Marci McDonald (Random House).

“Now the Conservative Member of Parliament for Richmond, Wong had been an enthusiastic speaker and fundraiser for CASJAFVA, the right-wing advocacy group whose mostly Chinese membership had organized the largest protest against the Corren agreement,” McDonald writes, referring to the B.C. government’s controversial decision to allow Murray Corren, a gay man, help write the curriculum for a class called Social Justice 12.

While CASJAFVA members may have raised money for Wong, the Richmond MP said she has never raised money for CASJAFVA. That was the other Alice Wong, she added.

“There was another Alice Wong who was helping them with fundraising — not me. I never raised funds with them,” she said.

K-John Cheung, director for CASJAFVA, confirmed that an Alice Y. F. Wong has participated in fundraising for the organization in the past.

CASJAFVA may be best-known for its fight against the implementation of a Social Justice 12 high-school course designed to teach a variety of social justice issues.

The organization, led by Vancouver lawyer K-John Cheung, collected 17,000 signatures opposing the course’s implementation.

In her book, McDonald suggests the Christian right has received support from other religious and ethnic groups, like Muslims and Sikhs. And it got a big boost from the Chinese community in places like Richmond.

Despite their religious difference, these ethnic groups tend to share the Christian right’s views on things like same sex marriage.

“That realization was not lost on Stephen Harper when he drafted his theo-conservative strategy, nor was it any accident that Harper kicked off his 2008 election campaign clad in a blue sweater, indulging in a round of baby kissing in the B.C. riding of a three-time candidate named Alice Wong,” McDonald writes in her book.

Wong said she takes exception to the suggestion in McDonald’s book that the Harper Conservatives want to see Christian values forming government policy, to the exclusion of non-believers.

“If that’s the camp she’s putting me in, or the Conservative Party, then I categorically deny her assertion,” Wong said. “I would identify myself as an evangelical Christian in my religious beliefs, but I will never ever advocate for a Canada in which ‘non-believers have no place.’

“My very role as the Parliamentary Secretary for Multiculturalism, I endorse the right of all cultures and religions to peacefully coexist here in Canada.”

Wong added that she wonders why her attendance at CASJAFVA events means she is a religious bigot, but that other politicians aren’t.

“I have attended those events sponsored by that organization,” she said, “but so have other politicians from all political stripes.”

She said Ujjal Dosanjh (Liberal MP for Vancouver South), Sam Sullivan (former Vancouver mayor), Raymond Chan (former Liberal MP for Richmond) and Joe Peschisolido (current Liberal candidate for Richmond) have all attended CASJAFVA events.

“If my attendance at those events equates to religious intolerance or bigotry, I would assume you would have to paint those other politicians with the same brush,” Wong said.

Braeden Caley, former assistant to Raymond Chan, said the attendance of Liberals like Chan, Dosanjh and Peschisolido would have been around 2002 or 2003, before CASJAFVA began to show its true colours after the debate on same sex marriage heated up in Canada.

“Since (2003), it would have made no sense for a Liberal to associate with a group that has taken such a hard turn to the right,” he said. “But Alice Wong has been, and Stephen Harper did a fundraising event for them when he was leader (of the Conservative Party).

Caley added there is evidence that the Harper government’s policies do in fact reflect fundamentalist Christian values. He cites the Harper government’s attempts to repeal the legalization of same sex marriage in its first term is a good example.

The Harper government’s refusal to include funding for abortions in international aid package for women’s health in developing nations is a more recent example.

It’s not just Liberals who think the Conservative Party has been mixing too much religion into its politics.

In 2005, Charlie Horton, the Richmond riding association president for the Conservative Party, resigned after another evangelical Christian, Darrel Reid, was nominated as the Conservative candidate here. At the time, Horton said he was uncomfortable with the Conservative Party favouring evangelical Christians like Wong and Reid.

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Harper was in Vancouver on Monday and held a “media roundtable” with the local ethnic media. Though many media have shown interest in getting the PM’s response on whether Fadden has filed his report with the public safety minister (as he promised in his showing at the parliamentary committee meeting in June), Harper has been very evasive. Harper only said that Fadden’s works fall into the category of “operational matters” which he cannot comment on.

In the June hearing, Fadden told the parliamentary committee — UNDER OATH — that his investigation on the “foreign spies” thing was completed and he would file a report with the government in 4 weeks. He did not do that — well, we don’t know if he’s done that or not because the public safety minister has refused to either confirm or deny if a report has been filed.

Public safety minister Vic Toews made a comment this week which only puts oil onto fire:

“I’ve heard Mr. Fadden’s comments. I was somewhat surprised by media reaction,” Toews began.

“His comments as I understand is something I’ve been reading in pages of newspapers across this country for the last 20 or 30 years. There’s nothing remarkable about the fact that governments may seek to influence politicians or senior bureaucrats. I mean I found it astounding that that would be a story.”

Two week ago, I thought the issue would cool down soon. But late developments are showing a reverse trend. Please read the following strong comments from the NCCC.

National Congress of Chinese Canadians Pacific Region Media Release

Aug 11, 2010

NCCC Pacific Region Co-Chair David Choi calls on Prime Minister Harper to Apologize to Canadians and Fire his Public Safety Minister.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews is wrong for not condemning CSIS Director Richard Fadden’s smear against Canadian cultural communities, especially Chinese Canadians, Chinese Canadian community leader and two Privy Councillors of Canada say.

The sweeping slur of Canadians was rebuked by David Choi, Pacific Region Co-Chair of the National Congress of Chinese Canadians (NCCC), MP John McCallum and Andrew Telegdi, both Privy Councillors.

The Harper government’s continual refusal to acknowledge the harm caused by heartless allegations by its spymaster is a slap in the face to Canadians in the Chinese community, a leading spokesman said yesterday.

David Choi of Vancouver, co-chair of the Pacific Region of the National Congress of Chinese Canadians, said the government’s insensitivity to the Canadian Chinese community was reinforced Tuesday by Vic Toews, the federal public safety minister and the direct boss of Richard Fadden, the director general of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

Toews told a Toronto audience that he was “astounded” that Canadian ethnic communities would be angered by charges by Fadden that some provincial cabinet ministers and municipal politicians have come under foreign influence. Fadden subsequently mentioned B.C. specifically.

CBC televised Peter Mansbridge’s interview on June 22 with Fadden, in which Fadden alleged elected officials and government employees from different cultural communities are agents of foreign governments. Fadden also alleged that foreign governments has influenced Canadian universities. Fadden refused to back up his allegations with names and facts, upsetting Canada’s diverse cultural communities.

The CSIS Director’s promise under oath more than a month ago to produce a report for the parliamentary standing committee on public safety and national security by Aug. 2 has been broken, provoking outrage among ethnic communities.

Choi, based in Vancouver, has travelled to Ontario to talk to political and ethnic leaders and ordinary Canadians about the dangers poised by Fadden’s sweeping and unsubstantiated allegations.

NCCC finds Public Safety Minister Toews’ continuing refusal to address the issue to be an assault on Canada’s democracy, openness, and accountability.

“This is government persecution by innuendo,” Choi said. “Minister Toews’ and PM Harper’s inaction is appalling and completely unacceptable to Canadians.”

Choi was in Ontario and met with Canadians from the Chinese, Irish, Sikh, Muslim, French, Hindu, Greek, and Hungarian communities.

“Since it’s obvious that the Public Safety Minister Toews has utterly failed to respond properly to the Fadden issue for over a month, now it’s time for Prime Minister Harper to step up to the plate, and take responsibility by apologizing to Canadians and fire Toews,” Choi said.

“It’s appalling Toews is making the same attempt to whitewash serious government wrongdoing while innocent Canadians continue to be hurt by Fadden’s comments. These are Canadians who are government employees, elected officials, researchers, ordinary citizens seeking jobs and promotions, those studying at and employed by universities, etc.,” Choi said.

McCallum, an MP, Privy Councillor, and a senior minister in the previous Liberal government, expressed his deep concerns over the Harper government’s stand when Choi met with him last week in McCallum’s Markham/Richmond Hill riding.

Telegdi, former MP, another Privy Councillor, Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Paul Martin, who also met with Choi said: “For Fadden to engage in a drive-by smear against various Canadian ethnic groups and to fail to back up those allegations with elaboration is an indecent thing to do. Canadians abhor that kind of behaviour.
“Toews’ refusal to acknowledge the damage done to innocent Canadians by holding his official to account is also contemptuous of all Canadians and Parliament.

“David Choi and NCCC is right to fight the Harper government for hurting innumerous innocent people” Telegdi Said.

McCallum and Telegdi commended NCCC and David Choi for their leadership in fighting for government accountability and their efforts in promoting strong ethno-cultural relations among Canadians.

What is more interesting is a recent counter-response shown by Tory supporters. Our newsroom received a call from a lady today, “complaining” that too much negative reporting has been put on Fadden, insisting what Fadden said “was right and everybody knew it”.

Sounds familiar?

The “official” Tory line was also uttered through its supporters’ mouths who have been eagerly calling some recent Chinese radio phone-in shows. (Actually, I have a feeling that these Chinese phone-ins are *always* the best indicators of how the Tories stand on issues — when the Tories cannot openly comment on issues that may hurt their ethnic votes, you’d find these “fighters” calling in radio shows to say something defending the Tories. Very interesting.)

Another interesting development on the Fadden controversy is that traditionally some pro-Tory Chinese media outlets are also picking up the stick against the Tories. For example, Sing Tao has been very active condemning the Tories lately (I wonder if that lady who called us today would have also called Sing Tao?) They did a “poll” (quotations needed because it’s not scientific, with a sample size of merely 45) which showed that 1/3 of those interviewed would switch to the Liberals just on the Fadden issue. It was a front page headline story.

I’m sure the Fadden issue is not going away any time soon. The Tories may have underestimated the damage of this issue to their ethnic base, just like how they misjudged the effect of their anti-China stand in 2006/7 on voters’ support.

FYI, the opposition is trying to keep the issue alive (thought very much paper-tigerly):

NDP’s release on Aug 11:

CONSERVATIVES MUST ACT ON FADDEN ACCUSATIONS

OTTAWA –After it was revealed this week that Richard Fadden has violated his sworn testimony by failing to report his foreign interference allegations to the government, New Democrat critics are calling on the Conservatives to show leadership and fire the CSIS director.

“Mr. Fadden testified under oath at committee that he would report his findings to the government within four weeks,” said New Democrat Public Safety Critic Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway). “After his terrible judgment in making the accusations in the first place, and his comments which revealed the identity of a French secret agent, violating his own sworn testimony is the third strike for Mr. Fadden. Instead of taking responsibility for the bungling of his agency director, the Public Safety Minister has been silent. Minister Toews must take action and fire Richard Fadden.”

New Democrat Citizenship and Immigration Critic Olivia Chow (Trinity Spadina) echoed the call for Fadden’s resignation, and highlighted the damage his remarks have caused.

“Mr. Fadden smeared entire communities of people with his reckless comments,” said Chow. “His report to the government is more than a week overdue, yet they have done nothing that shows they understand the serious of his accusations.”

“Why are the Conservatives doing nothing while Mr. Fadden’s accusations continue to cast suspicions on thousands of innocent Canadians?” said Chow. “The Conservatives must show leadership and deal with the situation so that reputations can be cleared once and for all.”

Liberals’ release on Aug 12：

Harper must reveal CSIS allegations of foreign influence

MARKHAM – Liberals are again calling on the Harper government to publicly reveal the allegations made by CSIS Director Richard Fadden.

“Mr. Fadden publicly promised the Minister of Public Safety a comprehensive report by August 2,, 2010,” said Liberal Public Safety Critic Mark Holland. “Either Mr. Fadden has failed in his commitment or the government is covering up the truth. In either case Mr. Harper has an obligation to step in and ensure that the hard won reputations of Canadian politicians across the country are protected.”

Last month, CSIS Director Fadden revealed that a number of Canadian politicians were under the influence of foreign governments – including two provincial cabinet ministers. Mr. Fadden also unfairly singled out the Chinese government as a source of foreign influence.

“By not releasing any supporting evidence Minister Toews, and his boss Mr. Harper, have tarnished the reputation of the Chinese-Canadian community,” said Liberal Finance Critic John McCallum. “Mr. Harper and Mr. Toews need to take responsibility for this file and either reveal the details of these accusations or publicly dismiss them as baseless. They cannot continue to allow provincial and municipal politicians to operate under a cloud of suspicion.”

Officials from numerous provincial and municipal governments have asked that the government to clarify Mr. Fadden’s remarks, including British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.

“This government claims to be open and transparent, yet on an issue that is important to so many Canadians nary a word is heard,” continued Mr. McCallum. “Governments across Canada have been operating under a fog of uncertainty for too long.”

“This government is behaving recklessly with Canadians’ confidence in their municipal and provincial elected officials,” finished Mr. Holland. “If Mr. Fadden’s report shows that there is no cause for concern, the government must clear the air; otherwise Canadians have a right to know about these threats to the public order.”

Related posts

• [GB] How can a columnist use fabrications to support Fadden? (101)
• [GB] 9 reasons why CSIS chief should resign or be fired (3)
• 2/3 Canadians want Fadden to name names (5)
• Media reports point to ‘China’ as spy culprit in Fadden’s mind (12)
• FLG fights back… (80)