Former CSIS, RCMP investigators call for inquiry into Buddhist monks, nuns' Chinese connections

Wayne Thibodeau · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 16, 2025 8:12 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 hours ago

About 250 radical packed into the P.E.I Convention Centre successful Charlottetown Sunday to perceive questions astir Buddhist monks and nuns surviving successful the eastbound portion of the province — with galore determination calling for a nationalist enquiry into the groups' imaginable connections to the Chinese government.

About 700 monks of the Great Enlightenment Buddhist Institute Society (GEBIS) and astir 600 nuns from the Great Wisdom Buddhist Institute (GWBI) telephone the Island home. 

Michel Juneau-Katsuya, a erstwhile CSIS quality officer, is 1 of the authors of the publication Canada Under Siege: How P.E.I. became a guardant operating basal for the Chinese Communist Party. The publication is co-authored by Garry Clement, who is simply a erstwhile nationalist manager of the RCMP's proceeds of transgression program.

Juneau-Katsuya says it's time, based connected their investigation, for the national oregon provincial authorities to telephone a nationalist inquiry. He besides wants to spot the RCMP motorboat an investigation. 

"If you person honorable MLAs, they cannot contradict that determination is thing that has been going connected for decades," Juneau-Katsuya said successful an interrogation with CBC News. 

'Identify what needs to beryllium fixed'

"The nationalist enquiry volition precisely place what needs to beryllium fixed," said Juneau-Katsuya. "There's a myriad of things that tin beryllium done by establishing policy, rules, regulations, however the furniture functions, however radical are vetting during the procurement process, however radical coming from overseas to found themselves present volition beryllium benignant of vetted."

Four Buddhist monks sat astatine the backmost of the room, intimately watching the documentary Game of Shadows — which follows Juneau-Katsuya and Clement from Ottawa to Washington and from P.E.I. to Taipei.

By times, the monks leaned forward, eyes glued to the 2 large screens successful the beforehand of the room, watching intently. 

Eli Kingston, 1 of the monks successful attendance, said helium didn't perceive thing successful the documentary that helium hasn't heard earlier — and added that anyone who suspects amerciable enactment should scope retired to the RCMP. 

'Nothing to rise immoderate suspicion'

"I've been successful the monastery for implicit a decennary now, 12 years. I'm successful complaint for rather a batch of matters with the monastery, and successful each meeting, each committee meeting, thing similar that I've been progressive with, I person thing to rise immoderate suspicion," said Kingston, who was calved and raised successful P.E.I.

"No one's ever travel to maine and asked maine to bash things that are extracurricular of my comfortableness portion ... I personally person not seen thing to beryllium that these claims are true." 

Joe Donahoe, who lives successful Uigg adjacent the Buddhist nuns, was astatine the publication and documentary motorboat Sunday.

Donahoe besides wants a nationalist enquiry and is urging the P.E.I. authorities to enactment a halt to each onshore income to the Buddhists until that probe is complete. 

'It has to person immoderate teeth'

"A batch of the properties, the prices are driven sky-high and I tin ne'er spot immoderate of my children returning to the Island to ain spot successful the Town of Three Rivers for sure, due to the fact that they can't spend it," Donahoe said.  

Russell Compton of Belfast, who is featured successful the documentary, echoed the telephone for a nationalist inquiry.

"If we person an inquiry, it has to person immoderate teeth, it truly does," said Compton, the hubby of Darlene Compton, who's the Progressive Conservative MLA for Belfast-Murray River.

Former Malpeque Liberal MP Wayne Easter, who joined the lawsuit Sunday by video, besides wants to spot an inquiry.  

Federal matters involved, says province

CBC News reached retired the P.E.I. authorities to spot if it is prepared to motorboat a nationalist inquiry.

On Monday afternoon, a spokesperson for the province sent an email successful reply.

"Many of the allegations raised autumn nether national jurisdiction, and questions astir those matters are champion directed to the Government of Canada," it said.

"With respect to onshore ownership, IRAC is presently conducting an probe related to this matter, and we volition await the result of that process."