Thursday 20 September 2018

Corruption exists within CBC too

https://twitter.com/DavidRayAmos/with_replies




Replying to and 48 others

YO @LannyDavis  I gave CBC a HUGE tip about Trump and his lawyer Cohen and they disabled it??? 
Go Figure
#TrudeauMustGo  #nbpoli  #cdnpoli #TrumpKnew  #muellerinvestigation 






Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen providing 'critical information' to Russia probe




1264 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.




David Amos
 Content disabled.
David Amos
Methinks the Yankee lawyer Lanny Davis should have returned my calls or answered my emails or at the very least Google the following ASAP N'esy Pas?

trump cohen david amos nafta fatca tpp






Jan Anderson
Jan Anderson
Trump's lawyers, then and now, don't even have a clue what he was and has been up to. They can't get a slip of truth out of their client - their job is essentially to ward of Mueller, and the free press.
Just look at Rudy, he makes things up - then learns things from the media - and changes his made up things to other made up things. None of them know anything. But Mueller knows. chuckle


Claire Bensen
Claire Bensen
@Jan Anderson
I don’t think Rudy is entirely clean in all of the NY real estate wheeling and dealing and tax evasion and loopholes and mob money. Not a lot of talk on this yet but I guess he is more invested than mere loyalty to his friend.

David Amos
Content disabled.
David Amos
@Claire Bensen "I don’t think Rudy is entirely clean in all of the NY real estate wheeling and dealing and tax evasion and loopholes and mob money"

Trust that Mueller and I know that may be the understatement of the year Check out the first 10 pages or so of this old file of mine

https://www.scribd.com/document/2619437/CROSS-BORDER

  



Ashley Zacharias
Ashley Zacharias
How can Trump expect anyone to be loyal to him when he is loyal to no one?


David Amos
Content disabled.
David Amos
@Ashley Zacharias Enjoy

---------- Original message ----------
From: David Amos
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2017 10:51:14 -0400
Subject: RE FATCA, NAFTA & TPP etc ATTN President Donald J. Trump I just got off the phone with your lawyer Mr Cohen (646-xxx-xxxx) Why does he lie to me after all this time???

---------- Original message ----------
From: Michael Cohen
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2017 14:15:14 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: RE FATCA ATTN Pierre-Luc.Dusseault I just
called and left a message for you
To: David Amos

Effective January 20, 2017, I have accepted the role as personal
counsel to President Donald J. Trump. All future emails should be
directed to xxxx@gmail.com and all future calls should be
directed to 646-xxx-xxxx


Mark Tynthof
Mark Tynthof
@Trevor Greene No, it is not a crime to "pay off blackmailers". However, it IS a crime to commit a campaign finance violation by paying them hush money right before an election. THAT is the issue, not the cheating on his family, regardless of how beautiful you are.


David Amos
David Amos
@David Amos I gave CBC a HUGE tip about Trump and his lawyer and they disabled it??? Go Figure

David Amos
David Amos
@Mark Tynthof Do tell Have you ever bothered to Google the following yet?

trump cohen david amos nafta fatca tpp





Jack Christian
Norman Brown
Trump has been washing Russian mob money for decades .


David Amos
David Amos
@Norman Brown I have heard that before many times but saw no proof






Jack Christian  
Peter Steffler
Trump is on course to tell 4,000 li es by Christmas and in defending Trump, his apologists are identifying Cohen as a perjurer. Best comedy going and it’s free.


David Amos
David Amos
@Peter Steffler I know for a fact Trump's lawyer Mikey Cohen lied to me 3 times before the FBI in Beantown called me on behalf of the incoming US Attorney






Scott Telfer 
Scott Telfer
I have to wonder how the Trump brand will fit in at the Hotel Leavenworth?


Richard Sharp
Richard Sharp
@Scott Telfer

So my bias is showing. I chuckle at your post but if you were talking about Trudeau. I'd see red. Because Trump is an obvious crook and Trudeau is a bloody saint!


Ian Smyth
Ian Smyth
@Richard Sharp you should be able to chuckle at jokes about either. it's comedy, it doesn't take that much thinking to get it.

David Amos
David Amos
@Ian Smyth Welcome to the Circus







Ian Smyth 
Dale Sullivan
Between Manafort and Cohen, and with all the documentation and the money trails, there is plenty of evidence pointing to the Trump family. Otherwise why is The Donald trying so hard to shut down the investigation.


Jane Miller
Jane Miller
@Lou Parks

if so, why not let the probe play out and prove your innocence?

David Amos
David Amos
@Jane Miller Thats what he is doing






Jane Miller
Erin Wilson
Whoa! One of the best days ever! 'Night 'night Don Trump! Time's almost up!


David Amos
David Amos
@Erin Wilson Dream on






Jane Miller 
Lou Bell
So Trump HATES whistleblowers ! Who'd a thunk !!!


David Amos
David Amos
@Lou Bell Have you ever bothered to Google the following yet?

trump cohen david amos nafta fatca tpp






Lawrence Aaluuluuq (RedWhite)
Lawrence Aaluuluuq (RedWhite)
Bob Woodward’s book "Fear" sold almost as many copies in 1 week as Donald Trump’s ‘Art of the Deal’ has in 30 years.

That being said, Bob Woodward actually wrote -his- book.


David Amos
David Amos
@Lawrence Aaluuluuq (RedWhite) Trust that Bob Woodward knows exactly who I am and I write all of my own words






https://twitter.com/DavidRayAmos/with_replies




Replying to and 48 others
Methinks folks should recall Robert Reid of the RCMP He fought to keep his job after blowing the whistle on corruption at the Canadian mission in Hong Kong in the 1990s N'esy Pas?





https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/quebec-immigrant-investor-consultants-hidden-camera-1.4832245



Wealthy would-be immigrants told to lie about their assets, intentions — even their identity




540 Comments 
Commenting is now closed for this story.




Ashley Zacharias 
Ashley Zacharias
Shocking that CBC can find evidence of criminal activity so easily, but our police forces who are paid to do so, find it an impossibly difficult task. 


David Amos
David Amos 
@Ashley Zacharias Anyone recall the trials and tribulations of one RCMP whistle blower in particular?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/rcmp-whistle-blower-fighting-for-job-1.308926

CBC News · Posted: Jan 17, 2002 11:46 AM ET | Last Updated: January 17, 2002

"An RCMP officer is fighting to keep his job after blowing the whistle on alleged corruption at the Canadian mission in Hong Kong in the early 1990s.

Robert Reid is facing an RCMP adjudication board in Ottawa that began hearings on Monday.

Reid said he was acting in the interest of Canadians when he went public with allegations that Canada's mission in Hong Kong was selling phoney visas to the highest bidders.

He says his preliminary investigation uncovered evidence of a problem that he believed could compromise the country's immigration system. According to Reid, his superiors ignored his information.

"I went on stress leave over this situation and finally I became stressed to the point where I went public with my allegations in 1999," said Reid.

Reid was suspended with pay by the RCMP shortly after he went public. Another officer, Sergio Passen, took over the investigation and ultimately concluded that Reid's allegations were baseless." YEA RIGHT


David Amos
Content disabled.
David Amos
@david mccaig I see you are busy burying the comments within top threads as per your MO







Al Vossen 
Al Vossen
Suggestion:
1. ship back anybody who is caught having done this - at their own expense. That includes their dependent families.
2. confiscate all their available assets to lower Canada's debt.. Houses, bank accounts, investments.


Lee Hall
Lee Hall
@Al Vossen

<--- allegiance="" country.="" give="" have="" money="" more="" most="" p="" politicians="" than="" the="" their="" them="" to="" wealthy="" who="">

David Amos
David Amos
@Lee Hall I agree








James Smith 
James Smith
Complain and xenophobic will be your label


Corinne O'Connor
Corinne O'Connor
@John Goode

You call it a scam; I call it money laundering with the assistance of our government (Liberal, Conservative, or NDP and at the provincial level too).

David Amos
David Amos
@Corinne O'Connor Me Too







Monopoly Capital 
Chantal LeBouthi
Shouldn’t this be called

Organise crime


Monopoly Capital
Monopoly Capital
@Chantal LeBouthi Nah, that is only reserved for Canadians who commit crime


David Amos
David Amos
@Monopoly Capital Oh So True

Methinks the Corporate Media must remember the fun they and the RCMP had with me and the "Salisbury Sopranos" N'esy Pas?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/christopher-tingley-family-salisbury-lawsuit-1.4240346

http://www.topix.com/forum/ca/moncton-area-nb/TNI9HUTBDGU5LOGKS/rcmp-post-video-evidence-on-youtube






Julia Henry
John Goode
Things are slowly being revealed as to why our politicians are always so pro immigration. They claim it will improve economy. Yeah... who's economy would that be? PEI is turnstile for this scam and so is Quebec.


David Amos
David Amos
@John Goode YUP







Dary Moed 
Dary Moed
If this can be so easily exposed, just imagine the depth of corruption that actually exists.


David Amos
David Amos
@Dary Moed I don't have to imagine


David Amos
David Amos 
@Dary Moed Trust thateverybody knows I am on the ballot again and that I spoke about softwood and dairy farmers versus NAFTA and TPP with the Chamber of Commerce folks in FUNDY again this month.

Methinks many politicians are familiar with this story that appeared in the Kings County Record June 22, 2004 N'ey Pas?

The Unconventional Candidate
By Gisele McKnight

"FUNDY—He has a pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket, a chain on his wallet, a beard at least a foot long, 60 motorcycles and a cell phone that rings to the tune of "Yankee Doodle."

Meet the latest addition to the Fundy ballot—David Amos. The independent candidate lives in Milton, Massachusetts with his wife and two children, but his place of residence does not stop him from running for office in Canada."

"Amos, 52, is running for political office because of his dissatisfaction with politicians. "I've become aware of much corruption involving our two countries," he said. "The only way to fix corruption is in the political forum."

"What he's fighting for is the discussion of issues – tainted blood, the exploitation of the Maritimes' gas and oil reserves and NAFTA, to name a few.

"The political issues in the Maritimes involve the three Fs – fishing, farming and forestry, but they forget foreign issues," he said. "I'm death on NAFTA, the back room deals and free trade. I say chuck it (NAFTA) out the window.

NAFTA is the North American Free Trade Agreement which allows an easier flow of goods between Canada, the United States and Mexico."






Randy Lehey 
Randy Lehey
The liberals and their politicians are complicit in all of this. They push for greater and greater immigration, they develop and implement these joke systems and laws, then they allow foreigners to freely abuse them so long as they get their million dollar kick backs all while these people buy up Canadian property and then rent it to real Canadians at breakneck cost.

The liberals and their politicians are not pro-Canada, they are pro-China and pro-selling-out-Canada.



Renota Y Schultz
Renota Y Schultz
@Randy Lehey -- actually, Brian Mulroney (aka the Conservatives) introduced it in 1986 & there was a lot of controversy about it.
- https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1570&context=jil
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Prime_Ministers_of_Canada

David Amos
David Amos
@Renota Y Schultz Methinks the political parties all have the same agenda and the victims are the folks they purportedly serve and protect N'esy Pas?






Dwight Williams 
Dwight Williams
They're just catching this now. Under the previous federal programme this went on for decades. And now we have places in larger Canadian cities where our own kids can no longer afford housing because these 'people' will pay prime dollars fora shack.

Makes the blood boil.


David Amos
David Amos
@Dwight Williams "Makes the blood boil."

High Time







chelsea sinclair 
chelsea sinclair
Since Trudeau became pm, foreign donations to the Trudeau Foundation increased tenfold.



Bert Law
Bert Law
@James Rielly

https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/money-began-to-rain-on-trudeau-foundation-once-justin-took-over-liberals-analysis-shows/amp

I just copied the first “hit” from search.
There are thousands of other examples.

David Amos
David Amos
@Bert Law Interesting






chelsea sinclair
Steve Fortin
Great. People getting into our country by illegal means. Fine upstanding citizens they will make.


David Amos
David Amos
@Steve Fortin Welcome to the Circus






https://twitter.com/DavidRayAmos/with_replies




Replying to and 48 others
Does this liberal lawyer David Heurtel expect to be reelected?

"he wasn't fazed by this tendency. "Even if an immigrant investor goes elsewhere in Canada, their money stays here"






https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/quebec-immigrant-investor-program-civil-servants-1.4830231









Replying to and 48 others
Content disabled "One former bureaucrat recalled rejecting a candidate on suspicions their assets were corruptly obtained His boss instructed him to be more lenient because corruption existed in Quebec too" 
Methinks therein lies the rub N'esy Pas?


https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/quebec-immigrant-investor-program-civil-servants-1.4830231




Rich investors granted Canadian residency despite fake documents and dubious assets, ex-officials say

Special immigration track meant to lure wealthy to Quebec sees most end up in B.C., Ontario

Frédéric Zalac, Francis Plourde · Radio-Canada · Posted: Sep 20, 2018 5:00 AM ET



755 Comments 
Commenting is now closed for this story.




David Amos
Content disabled.
David Amos
"One former bureaucrat recalled rejecting a candidate on suspicions their assets were corruptly obtained. His boss instructed him to be more lenient next time because corruption existed in Quebec too.'

Methinks therein lies the rub N'esy Pas?





David Amos 
Content disabled.
David Amos
I wonder if this liberal lawyer expects to be reelected again.

"Quebec Immigration Minister David Heurtel told reporters in March that he wasn't fazed by this tendency. "Even if an immigrant investor goes elsewhere in Canada, their money stays here," he said





  
mo bennett
mo bennett
only in quebec, you say? pity! and, go figure!!


David Amos
David Amos
@mo bennett Naw Methinks if you had bothered to read the article you would have noticed that the questionable people moved to BC etc N'esy Pas?

David Amos
Content disabled.
David Amos
@mo bennett YO MO How many of our comments do ya think CBC will block today?



mo bennett
mo bennett
@David Amos u tryin' out for Sid's job?








Jean-Richard Pelland
Jean-Richard Pelland
Our citizenship should not be for sale and we should not overlook dishonesty in applications for citizenship or residency. Integrity ought to count for something.


David Amos
David Amos
@Jean-Richard Pelland "Integrity ought to count for something."

If it doesn't then nothing counts



David Amos
David Amos
@Jean-Richard Pelland "Integrity ought to count for something"

Apparently not







Roberta Sanchez-Lee
Joseph Mediano
Oh the irony. Quebec, which wanted to ditch Canada, is now getting rich selling Canadian citizenship and watching the applicants immediately leave Quebec for other provinces to deal with. But let's not rock that boat.


David Amos
David Amos
@Joseph Mediano "Oh the irony"

Methinks its far worse than merely ironic N'esy Pas?





mo bennett 
Ken MacDonald
Money talks, ethics walk.


David Amos
David Amos
@Ken MacDonald Oh So True


James Carpenter
James Carpenter
@Ken MacDonald

I mentioned in a post a week ago about people in their 40's who don't speak English driving HumVees and CBC banned it...

David Amos
David Amos
@James Carpenter You should the ones of mine that they blocked

David Amos
David Amos
@David Amos Methinks therein lies the rub N'esy Pas?

David Amos
David Amos
@Ken MacDonald "One former bureaucrat recalled rejecting a candidate on suspicions their assets were corruptly obtained. His boss instructed him to be more lenient next time because corruption existed in Quebec too.'

Do ya think the RCMP read that yet?








 Glen Acanthus 
Glen Acanthus
But of course..."a special Quebec program". Are you surprised? Why not? Considering the liberals are letting in vast numbers of undocumented people anyway this comes as no shock at all.


David Amos
David Amos


David Amos
David Amos
@David Amos At least PEI finally understood the meaning of the term ethical conduct after awhile

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-pnp-entrepreneur-program-closed-1.4820072






Mark Oliver
Mark Oliver
The only difference between these people and the ones crossing the boarder in up-state New York is these ones flew here in first class.


David Amos
David Amos
@Mark Oliver I agree






 mo bennett 
Chris MacKenzie
Somebody's back is being scratched. All levels government in Canada as well as Quebec have questionable ethics.


David Amos
David Amos
@Chris MacKenzie YUP







Andrew Szollos 
Andrew Szollos
This is only a surprise to the uninformed and blissfully ignorant.
Sadly, Canada is not open for business, it is up for sale.


David Amos
David Amos
@Andrew Szollos YUP







mo bennett 
Andrew Hebda (NS)
Citizenship should not be for sale IMHO


David Amos
David Amos
@Andrew Hebda (NS) True



Abe Buckingham
Abe Buckingham
@David Amos It really is though. Unless you're coming in for marriage or as a refugee the point system is strongly weighted in favor of the highly educated and wealthy. We don't let people who are poor or middle class in even from our closest allies.

David Amos
David Amos
@Abe Buckingham Tell that nonsense to the 30 thousand or so who illegally walked across our border with the USA last year







 mo bennett 
Chris Johnson
Liberals fail again.


Bruce Chatwin
Bruce Chatwin
@Chris Johnson

The program existed under the Conservatives too.

David Amos
David Amos
@Bruce Chatwin YUP







 mo bennett 
bill barber
The program needs to be stopped immediately.


David Amos
David Amos
@bill barber I agree







Joseph Cluster
Joseph Cluster
Go into partnership with a resident to buy a company in Canada - one gets an address-an open door to immigrate for education/purchasing real estate. More sponsorship with simple signatures of an hired employee. Just examples of what happens all the timed perfectly acceptable.


David Amos
David Amos
@Joseph Cluster Perfectly acceptable to whom?






 mo bennett 
Mike Mayers
Find out who these people are and revoke their residency


David Amos
David Amos
@Mike Mayers Methinks many are already Canadians N'esy Pas?






 Joseph Cluster
Joseph Cluster
Forged documents, look the other way, wink, wink, Quebec, "be more lenient next time because corruption existed- investigating corruption and collusion in Quebec's construction industry."

Seriously they have to stop this train of thought in Quebec.


David Amos
David Amos
@Joseph Cluster Methinks its the Feds who make them Canadian citizens N'esy Pas?






 David Barry Cooper
David Barry Cooper
The word corruption is synonymous with Quebec and has been since the Duplessis era of the '30's.


David Amos
David Amos
@David Barry Cooper Methinks its the Feds who make the questionable people Canadian citizens N'esy Pas?






 Richard Hirschfield
Richard Hirschfield
Right out of the Mulroney playbook as when he sold citizenship to wealthy residents of Hong Kong for $250,000 before the China regained control.


David Amos
David Amos
@Richard Hirschfield Methinks the liberals did it too N'esy Pas?

Robert Brannen
Robert Brannen
@David Amos

A co-operative effort of a Conservative federal government and a Liberal government in 1986.




Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen providing 'critical information' to Russia probe

Longtime insider reportedly met several times, for several hours, with investigators


Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former lawyer, said he is co-operating with special counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing investigation. (Craig Ruttle/Associated Press)


Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, said Thursday he is providing "critical information" as part special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and possible co-ordination between Russia and the Trump campaign.
Cohen, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance and other charges last month, said he is providing the information to prosecutors without a co-operation agreement.
Trump's longtime fixer-turned-foe could be a vital witness for prosecutors as they investigate whether Trump's campaign co-ordinated with Russians. For more than a decade, Cohen was Trump's personal lawyer, and he was a key power player in the Trump Organization and a fixture in Trump's political life.

Cohen pleaded guilty in August to eight federal charges and said Trump directed him to arrange payments before the 2016 election to buy the silence of porn actress Stormy Daniels and a former Playboy model who had both alleged they had affairs with Trump. It was the first time any Trump associate implicated Trump himself in a crime, though whether — or when — a president can be prosecuted remains a matter of legal dispute.




The National
Trump says flipping should be illegal, as Trump's friend flips

 In an interview with Fox News, U.S. President Donald Trump said flipping should be illegal, just as another of his friends flipped on him. David Pecker, CEO of the parent company of the National Enquirer, has been granted immunity in exchange for providing information about Michael Cohen and Trump. 2:55

Twitter miscue


On Thursday night, Cohen tweeted: "Good for @MichaelCohen212 for providing critical information to the #MuellerInvestigation without a cooperation agreement. No one should question his integrity, veracity or loyalty to his family and country over @POTUS @realDonaldTrump."

The tweet was deleted almost immediately and was later reposted by his attorney, Lanny Davis, who said he wrote the tweet for Cohen and asked him to tweet it because he has a "much larger following." Davis said he was delayed posting the tweet on his own account, so Cohen tweeted it first.



Good for @michaelcohen212 in providing critical information to the without a cooperation agreement. No one should question his honesty, veracity or loyalty to his and over @potus @realdonaldtrump

my Tweet sent to @MichaelCohen212 and I asked him to re-send to his followers-Good for @michaelcohen212 in providing critical information to the without a cooperation agreement. Don’t question his honesty, veracity or loyalty to his ,


FYI - I wrote a Tweet congratulating @MichaelCohen212 and sent text to him to Tweet to his much larger following - but was delayed posting myself so he posted first. All take a breath. I don’t control or have access to Mr. Cohen’s Twitter account. He is my client and my friend.



ABC News reported earlier Thursday that Cohen has met several times — for several hours — with investigators from the special counsel's office.

The television network, citing sources familiar with the matter, said he was questioned about Trump's dealings with Russia, including whether members of the Trump campaign worked with Russians to try to influence the outcome of the election.

Manafort also co-operating


Davis had asserted last month that his client could tell the special counsel that Trump had prior knowledge of a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer, Trump's son-in-law and Trump's eldest son, who had been told in emails that it was part of a Russian government effort to help his father's campaign.

But Davis later walked back the assertions, saying he could not independently confirm the claims that Cohen witnessed Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., telling his father about the Trump Tower meeting beforehand.
In the last two weeks, the special counsel secured the cooperation of Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, signalled that he has obtained all the information he needs from former national security adviser Michael Flynn — who was also a government cooperator and dispensed with the case of the campaign aide who triggered the Russia probe.

The president has continued a very public battle against the Mueller investigation, repeatedly calling it a politically motivated and "rigged witch hunt." He has said he is going to declassify secret documents in the Russia investigation, an extraordinary move that he says will show that the investigation was tainted from the start by bias in the Justice Department and FBI.






Wealthy would-be immigrants told to lie about their assets, intentions — even their identity

Hidden cameras capture advisers giving out questionable guidance to people seeking Canadian visas

An immigration consultant in Hong Kong said on hidden camera that 'it's normal' to disregard the residency requirements and not declare all assets when applying to the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program. (Radio-Canada)

LATEST UPDATES:
  • This story has been updated to correct and clarify some details.
Rich foreigners seeking to gain Canadian residency through a controversial Quebec program are being advised to hide questionable assets, lie about their intention to settle in the province and even adopt a new identity, according to a hidden-camera investigation by Radio-Canada.

The investigation revealed that immigration advisers have counselled clients to do things such as change their name, shift funds to accounts in the Caribbean and not declare them to tax authorities or immigration agents.

"We have a lot of clients who have a lot of assets who do this," said one consultant at one of the biggest firms in the industry in a conversation captured on hidden camera.

The revelations pose troubling questions for the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP), a special immigration track under which foreigners with at least $2 million in assets can get Canadian residency for themselves and their family if they agree to loan $1.2 million to the Quebec government.
Last year alone, more than 5,000 people obtained permanent residency through the program. Typically, two-thirds of those accepted each year come from mainland China. However, most successful applicants through the Quebec program don't actually settle in the province.

'Mr. Chen'


Radio-Canada's investigative program Enquête went undercover at the offices of five immigration consultancies and law firms in Hong Kong, the city where, up until last year, all Chinese QIIP applications were handled. Four other firms were called by phone. All these firms help candidates with their applications before they send them to the government.

A Hong Kong chef was hired to pose as "Mr. Chen," a supposed businessman whose $10-million fortune came from suspicious sources. Mr. Chen told the firms he made his money operating a plastic-bag factory, but some of the paperwork to prove this had been destroyed in a fire. He also said he ran a pawnshop that dealt only in cash and charged high interest rates and that he hadn't declared a chunk of his assets to Chinese tax authorities.

"We've helped clients with even greyer areas," said an agent at Globevisa, one of the biggest immigrant-investor consultancies in the world.

"We have seven passports. These are all legal. Two are European identities, others are Caribbean — there are five. Those are simply to get an identity in case you have to flee or if you want to hide your assets," said the consultant, who didn't know she was being recorded.

"You change your name to Bruce Lee. You can use this Bruce Lee identity to hold this. They won't be able to check," the agent said.

She claimed clients could use this scheme if they failed background checks.

Watch the immigration adviser counsel "Mr. Chen" on hidden camera:


The National
Globevisa consultant

 Globevisa consultant advises on what to declare to government immigration officers 1:22

In a subsequent statement, Globevisa said there was "practically no chance that your 'Mr. Chen' would have been taken on" as a client.

"No ... consultant wants to take on a case which is problematic and which has a high risk of failure," the firm said.

'This is bad'


At another firm, the Hong Kong offices of Harvey Law Group, founded by Canadian Jean-François Harvey, a representative tells Mr. Chen that "it's normal" to not declare all assets.

"You want to disclose the minimum possible, right? Right. OK, yes, it's possible," she said on hidden camera:



CBC News
HLG consultant

 Harvey Law Group consultant says she was fired over statements caught on camera. 0:37

"We have a lot of clients like that. It's actually really normal."

She suggested acquiring status in a Caribbean jurisdiction so that Mr. Chen could camouflage part of his wealth — not only from Quebec's immigration officers but also from Chinese tax authorities.

"[The] Caribbean passport also gives him a new TIN number — so a tax identity number. So that could be useful for him, too," she said on hidden camera.

"One of the Caribbean [countries] does not have a treaty with China. So you get a new tax identity, but you don't need to declare to [the] Chinese government all those assets."
When Radio-Canada showed the footage of his employee explaining ways to get around the rules to Harvey, he expressed shock and dismay.

Lawyer Jean-François Harvey expressed dismay at hidden-camera footage showing one of his employees advising a potential immigration applicant to use false identities if he wanted to hid assets of dubious origin. (Radio-Canada)
"This is bad.... You've opened my eyes," he told Enquête. "There's things being said here that shouldn't be."

But Harvey said that any potential client would have met with a lawyer after initially dealing with the employee. The lawyer would catch the problems with Mr. Chen's file at that point, he said.

After seeing the hidden-camera footage, Harvey fired the employee caught on video, she told Radio-Canada.

Integrity concerns


Several firms approached by Mr. Chen advised him not to declare some assets of questionable origin.
But that goes against the rules of the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program, which requires applicants to list all their assets — and ostensibly rejects candidates whose wealth may not be legitimately sourced.

Until it closed last year, a Quebec government office in Hong Kong processed most of the successful applications for the province's immigrant investor program. (Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty)
Nor did it seem to matter to most of the Hong Kong-based advisers that Mr. Chen said he had no intention to actually take up residence in Quebec. Any permanent resident or citizen of Canada has the constitutional right to move anywhere in the country, but it is a requirement of the immigrant investor program that candidates declare a firm intention to settle in Quebec.

"If they ask you, it's best if you don't answer so honestly. Don't tell them so plainly you don't plan to stay there," the Globevisa consultant advised.

All but one of the consultants told Mr. Chen he could settle elsewhere in Canada, but that he should not disclose this intention to Canadian immigration authorities.

Quebec immigration lawyer Hugue Langlais said Radio-Canada's hidden-camera footage shows the Quebec government should end the QIIP.

"I'm a little uncomfortable to see that we have a program with major shortcomings that are known in the industry," he said.

"I think the federal government did the right thing in 2014 in shutting down its program. I think the Quebec government should think about doing the same thing."


Read more about immigration programs for wealthy investors:

 

Corrections

  • A previous version of this story mistakenly said that Jean-François Harvey, the head of Harvey Law Group, told Radio-Canada that he fired the employee caught on hidden camera. In fact, it was the employee herself who told Radio-Canada she was fired. The previous version also said a Globevisa consultant claimed clients had previously used the false-identity scheme to pass security checks. In fact, she said they could use the scheme if they failed background checks.
    Sep 21, 2018 11:07 AM ET







Rich investors granted Canadian residency despite fake documents and dubious assets, ex-officials say

Special immigration track meant to lure wealthy to Quebec sees most end up in B.C., Ontario


Quebec Immigration Minister David Heurtel says he's not fazed that most wealthy investors accepted under the province's special visa program don't actually end up living in Quebec. 'Even if an immigrant investor goes elsewhere in Canada, their money stays here,' he said. (Jacques Boissinot/Canadian Press)


Some rich foreigners seeking Canadian residency under a special Quebec program for wealthy investors couldn't point to the province on a map, while others submitted fake documents or disguised their assets — yet many of them were still accepted for immigration, former civil servants say.

The officials, charged with administering the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP), say they were sometimes pressured into ignoring signs that applicants' fortunes were founded on corruption or other ill-gotten gains.

"It's a program that has lots of gaps, that permits people with dubious or even illicit business to launder money through the program and to buy themselves citizenship inexpensively," said one former immigration officer.

Numerous current and former civil servants in Quebec spoke to Radio-Canada's investigative program Enquête on condition of anonymity, revealing what they see as major flaws in an immigration program that has granted permanent residency to tens of thousands of people since it began in 1986.

QIIP applicants must have at least $2 million in assets and agree to loan $1.2 million of that to the Quebec government interest-free for five years. The government invests the money and uses the interest to provide grants to small- and medium-sized businesses.

"We were under a lot of pressure to approve applicants in order to meet annual financial targets," said one ex-bureaucrat.


Staff were overwhelmed


The federal government used to have a similar immigration track for rich investors seeking to settle in Canada, but shut it down in 2014 due to concerns about its effectiveness.

The Quebec version still accepts 1,900 people a year, plus their family members, with two-thirds coming from mainland China. Last year alone, more than 5,000 people obtained their permanent residency through the program.

All of the applications from China would've pass through Quebec's immigration office in Hong Kong, until it closed last year. The office was overwhelmed by the workload, with staff working 60 to 70 hours a week to keep up, according to the former officials who spoke to Enquête.


Two-thirds of those accepted to Quebec's Immigrant Investor Program every year are from mainland China. Until it closed last year, all of their applications were assessed at a provincial government office in Hong Kong. (Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty)

The provincial government allotted seven hours to screen each application — including verifying that applicants had come by their fortunes honestly. But as one former immigration officer said: "It takes time to do proper due diligence, and we didn't have it."

Officials' suspicions could be raised by any number of things, including copycat submissions.

"The applicants were all heads of sales, then became assistant managers," the ex-bureaucrat said. "The first time you have an applicant like that, you tell yourself, 'Why not.' Then you get 10, 20, 30 more from the same immigration consultant. It raises serious doubts about their back story."
In the early 2000s, the Quebec government hired an outside firm to help vet applications. It was found that more than 65 per cent of them contained forged documentation.

And according to data obtained under Quebec's access-to-information law, from 2013 to 2017, a total of 1,783 immigrant investor applications were rejected by the province's officers in Hong Kong due to faked documents.

'Really shocked me'


But even as dodgy candidates were flagged, immigration officers say they felt pressure to overlook many applications with apparent shortcomings.

One former bureaucrat recalled rejecting a candidate on suspicions their assets were corruptly obtained. His boss instructed him to be more lenient next time because corruption existed in Quebec too.
We knew they weren't coming to Quebec and we also knew they weren't going to learn French.- Former immigration official
Around the same time, the Charbonneau Commission was investigating corruption and collusion in Quebec's construction industry. "It really shocked me to hear that," he said.

Another civil servant said they were told by a senior official at Quebec's Immigration Ministry not to dig too deep into each applicant's background. Some immigration staff bowed to those pressures and accepted more applicants, the people interviewed by Enquête said, while others refused.

Government claims credit for job creation


In a statement, Quebec's Immigration Ministry said its vetting process is effective at maintaining the integrity of the immigrant-investor program. It said applicants and their assets are examined multiple times: by financial institutions that help recruit them, by governmental financial analysts, and by immigration personnel. Finally, FINTRAC, the federal financial intelligence agency, verifies the funds that successful applicants lend to the Quebec government.

The province also says the program has had important economic benefits, allowing for $695 million in grants to small- and medium-sized businesses since 2000 — which it says has translated into tens of thousands of jobs.


'We're way off our immigration targets under this program,' said Suzanne Ethier, a former Quebec associate deputy minister of immigration. (Radio-Canada)

But those numbers may be overly rosy.

Grants from the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program are limited to a maximum of 10 per cent of a business's expansion or modernization project. Nevertheless, Investment Quebec, the provincial agency that administers the grants, counts all the jobs created or saved by the expansion projects it supports — meaning the employment gains seem to be inflated by a factor of 10.

Investment Quebec maintains it's a standard method of calculating and it doesn't deem every one of those jobs to stem from its grants.

Westward bound


Perhaps the most controversial aspect of QIIP is that while it's meant to draw wealthy investors to la belle province, the vast majority who have taken up residency in Canada under the program settle in other provinces.

As part of the process, applicants have to sign two forms declaring their intention to reside in Quebec.
But once in Canada, the law allows anyone to move freely. Data reported earlier this year by Global News shows that 85 per cent of Quebec's immigrant investors — since the program began in 1986 — have ended up in British Columbia and Ontario. Only 10 per cent remained in Quebec.
The Quebec Immigrant Investor Program is a scam from start to finish. I think that everyone who's involved in the program knows that.- Ian Young, newspaper columnist
"We're way off our immigration targets under this program," said Suzanne Ethier, who served as Quebec's associate deputy minister of immigration from 2005 to 2006.

"We knew they weren't coming to Quebec and we also knew they weren't going to learn French," said one of the former bureaucrats who helped run the program.

Quebec Immigration Minister David Heurtel told reporters in March that he wasn't fazed by this tendency. "Even if an immigrant investor goes elsewhere in Canada, their money stays here," he said.

Other provinces aren't so keen to welcome Quebec's immigrants, though, and to bear the costs of providing health care and education. Freedom-of-information records obtained by Enquête show the B.C. government complained to Quebec several times in 2015 and 2016
Former federal immigration minister Chris Alexander, who served in Stephen Harper's last government, said he brought up the issue with his Quebec counterparts, and while they "recognized there were problems, they weren't ready to move forward with any changes."

Quebec has since taken steps to retain more of its immigrant investors, Heurtel said, including prioritizing applicants from francophone countries and sending out videos and brochures promoting living in Quebec.

But that hasn't been enough to alter how the program's critics see things.

"The Quebec Immigrant Investor Program is a scam from start to finish. I think that everyone who's involved in the program knows that," said Ian Young, the Vancouver correspondent for Hong Kong's South China Morning Post newspaper and a seasoned observer of immigration patterns from China to Canada.

"I think that includes policy-makers, the people who facilitate it and the immigrants themselves."


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