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Written by: Aidan Jonah
Nearly two weeks ago, The Canada Files revealed that a Uygur separatist organization founded with CIA money was given nearly $1 million CAD of funds to manage for Uygur dissident immigrants, by Canada’s immigration department. Now, the same department has pulled the grant from Canada’s ‘Open Government’ portal without explanation.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)’s responsibility for this change was noted by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s media relations team, which said:
“Each department is responsible for what is posted on Open Government.”
The contribution given by IRCC to Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project (URAP), positions URAP as a middle manager for the Chinese Canadian diaspora along with Tibet dissidents and ‘HongKongers’.
Video proof of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) having entirely removed the contribution given to Uyghur Rights Advoacy Project (URAP), from the ‘Open Government’ portal. This video was taken on October 31, 2024.
The desire to hide the funding to URAP becomes more fascinating when it’s revealed that URAP is pining for steady long-term Canadian government funding just like the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) has gotten since the government created it in 1940.
In the Canadian foreign interference inquiry, URAP’s project coordinator, Kayum Masimov, outright said (on October 2 – Day 26):
“We would further recommend long term organizational and capacity building support to fund Uyghur Canadian organizations to build community resilience. Allocate federal funding to support Uyghur Canadian organizations in their capacity building efforts. This would include resources for advocacy, community outreach, and legal support. Strengthening these organizations will help ensure that they can respond effectively to interference to support their community members.”
One way to strengthen URAP would be to position it to manage some or all funds for the 10,000 Uygur dissidents coming to Canada by the end of 2025, which Canada’s government has already done.
The contribution terms specifically indicate that URAP is to “provide direct financial support and fund the provision of immediate and essential services to eligible recipients as listed in Ts & Cs [Uygur Muslim dissidents]”. This helps URAP funnel these dissidents into an anti-communist community and grow URAP’s donor base, in addition to whatever the Canadian government and the CIA will give it.
When contacted by The Canada Files, seeking an explanation on why this contribution was removed from the ‘Open Government’ portal, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada nor Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project replied. Neither IRCC nor URAP responded to The Canada Files’ request for comment.
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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.
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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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