Harper appeals to Chinese-Canadians, denies meddling in Syrian refugee process

"Da jia hao (hello everyone)," Prime Minister Stephen Harper greeted in Mandarin, addressing a large crowd of Chinese-Canadian voters on Thursday.

During a campaign stop in Vancouver, Harper said Conservatives were the best representatives for Chinese Canadians, citing the 1957 election of Conservative Doug Jung, Canada’s first Asian MP in Canada.

“Our Conservative Party has always been the party of Chinese-Canadians,” he said. “It should come as no surprise that in this election our Conservative Party has more candidates of Chinese origin than any other party.”

According to a recent Insights West poll, Metro Vancouver’s Asian voters are increasingly gravitating towards the Liberal Party. But local Tory candidates including Vancouver South MP Wai Young and Richmond Centre MP Alice Wong praised Harper as the “clear choice” in the 2015 federal election who can protect Canada's "fragile conomy" in a "dangerous and uncertain world."

Despite this introduction from Wong however, the prime minister did not begin his speech by addressing the Canadian economy. Instead, he denied recent allegations that his office interfered with the admission of refugees from Syria.

Refugee decisions made by CIC: Harper

“Our government has adopted a generous approach in the admission of refugees while ensuring the selection of the most vulnerable people in keeping our country safe and secure,” he said.

“The audit we asked for earlier this year was to ensure the policy directives are being met. Political staff are never involved in approving refugee applications — such decisions are made by officials in the Department of Citizenship and Immigration.”

The Globe and Mail reported Thursday that the Prime Minister’s Office directed immigration officials this spring to stop processing one of the most vulnerable classes of Syrian refugees, and declared that all UN-referred refugees would require direct approval from the Prime Minister.

Harper did not take media questions at the conference and proceeded to tout Canada’s relationship with China thanks to his government’s “record investments” in Asia-Pacific trade.

Increasing trade between China and Canada

“Under our Conservative government, trade between Canada and China has more than doubled,” he told applauding guests. “In the long run friends, this relationship can only grow.”

In September last year, the prime minister locked Canada into a 31-year deal with China called the Canada-China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA), which some criticized as potential violation of the constitution.

Some experts voiced concern about the terms of the agreement, which would allow China to sue Canada for changing a law that could cause Chinese investors to suffer losses. In particular, Chinese companies could potentially sue B.C. or the federal government in relation to Chinese assets connected to the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline.

Harper didn’t address the controversial FIPA deal or the Trans Pacific Partnership in his speech, and chose to focus on improved Chinese immigration, international student, and family visas under his watch.