Canada’s immigration department escalates URAP funding cover-up
Written by: Aidan Jonah
Canada’s immigration department continues its bid to cover-up details of nearly $1 million CAD of funding for a Canada-based Uygur separatist organization.
Last fall, The Canada Files broke the story of how a CIA-funded organization, Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project (URAP) was given $1 million to manage for the 10,000 Uygur ‘refugees’ coming to Canada by the end of 2025 - though only one ‘refugee’ has come so far - by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The Canadian government tried to hide the contribution agreement when TCF broke the story).
The grant itself is especially scandalous since the UN-listed terrorist organization, East Turkestan Islamic Movement, has never been listed as a terrorist organization in Canada, while URAP is a Uygur separatist organization (seeking an independent state out of China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region).
Furthermore, URAP’s Executive Director, Mehmet Tohti, has previously demanded that Canada allow in Guantanamo prisoner Anvar (Ali) Hassan, a then 34-year-old who “fled China to live and train in a camp in Afghanistan in 2001” and was “later caught in the hills of Pakistan”, who “admitted to military training in Afghanistan” with the motivation of fighting the “oppressive Chinese government”.
And now, as The Canada Files continues to seek answers and details about the extent of IRCC-URAP cooperation, IRCC is escalating its cover-up.
Through Canada’s Access to Information Processing (ATIP) request process, The Canada Files sought:
"Final copy of the contribution agreement signed with Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, for agreement R248665001.”
On January 15, 2025, IRCC responded to the request, stating that they couldn’t provide the requested records because:
“the records you have requested as they are exempt/excluded from disclosure in accordance with the following sections of the Act: 15(1)(i)i) international affairs, 17 safety of individuals, 19(1) personal information, 20(1)(b) financial, commercial, scientific or technical information given in confidence to the government and treated in a consistently in a confidential manner by the third party, 20(1)(c) information that could result in a financial loss or gain, 21(1)(b) consultations or deliberations, 21(1)(c) plans or positions.”
The Canada Files has never previously had a request for a contribution agreement or grant entirely refused for disclosure.
When reached out to for comment, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Canada stated:
“The Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) was designated by China in accordance with the law and listed by the UN Security Council as a terrorist organization. The international community needs to see clearly its violent terrorist nature and firmly combat the ETIM. For a long time, some political forces have spread too many rumours and created too much disinformation about Xinjiang in the world. By concocting these lies, they are aiming to destabilize Xinjiang and hold back China’s development and revitalization. What they are actually doing is to force “de-coupling”, unemployment and poverty on Xinjiang under the pretext of human rights. Such attempts will never succeed. Currently, Xinjiang enjoys social stability, economic growth, ethnic solidarity and harmony among various religions. The rights and interests of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are well protected. The concerned parties should stop their wanton accusations, slandering and interference in China's domestic affairs. All attempts to undermine Xinjiang's harmony and stability and contain China's development are bound to fail.”
The Canada Files has filed a complaint the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) opposing the IRCC’s refusal to provide records, and will continue to pursue this story.
Aidan Jonah is the Editor-in-Chief of The Canada Files, a socialist, anti-imperialist news outlet founded in 2019. Jonah wrote a report for the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council, held in September 2021.
Editor’s note: The Canada Files is the country's only news outlet focused on Canadian foreign policy. We've provided critical investigations & hard-hitting analysis on Canadian foreign policy since 2019, and need your support.
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