Public deserves answers on Canada-China policing agreement, New Democrat MP says

OTTAWA — NDP public safety critic Jenny Kwan says Canadians deserve to know what information the RCMP is sharing under an agreement with China’s Ministry of Public Security.

In an open letter, Kwan urges Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand to disclose the full text of the memorandum of understanding.

Kwan says she wants to know if safeguards prevent Canadian information from being used against dissidents, human rights defenders, journalists or diaspora communities.

She also wonders what oversight mechanisms exist to ensure compliance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Canadian privacy laws.

Public Safety recently said in a document tabled in Parliament that agreements with law enforcement agencies in other countries require confidentiality and therefore are not released to the public.

Kwan says the important goal of fighting crime cannot come at the expense of transparency, public trust or the safety of vulnerable communities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2026.