A Montreal-area Chinese community centre and its director have launched a defamation lawsuit against Brossard Mayor Doreen Assaad.
Xixi Li, executive director of the Centre Sino-Québec de la Rive-Sud and also a Brossard city councillor, says she intends to restore her reputation.
“I am saddened that rather than defend my right to the presumption of innocence, my colleague has chosen to vilify me,” she wrote. “It is not easy for racialized women to fulfill multiple roles in family, community and public service, so I had expected more solidarity from another female elected official.”
Li alleges that Assaad made “false and damaging” statements against her in the wake of an RCMP announcement in 2023 that the force had opened an investigation into Sino-Québec. The federal law enforcement service said at the time that it suspected that the Chinese government was running a police outpost at that location and at the Chinese Family Service of Greater Montreal.
To date, the investigation has not resulted in any charges. On Friday, an RCMP spokesperson said “the RCMP continues to actively investigate reports nationally of criminal activity in relation to the so-called ‘police stations.’”
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In the lawsuit filed in Longueuil district court Thursday, Li alleges that Assad sent an email asking her to step down as councillor and that Assaad made several statements to journalists questioning the integrity and transparency of Li and Sino-Québec.
Li also alleged Assad made statements on social media questioning the sincerity and transparency of Li as councillor and head of Sino-Québec.
Li claims in the lawsuit that all this has caused her tremendous stress and adversely affected her ability to do her job as a politician.
“Ms. Assaad poured fuel on the fires of prejudice, causing me further harm,” Li wrote in a statement to reporters. “The public recognizes that the abuse of elected officials outside the governing party is reprehensible. Hopefully, this lawsuit will remind my colleagues that we need to take care of one another.”
This is the second lawsuit filed this week in connection with the RCMP investigation into alleged Chinese police outposts. Both Sino-Québec and the Chinese Family Services of Greater Montreal are suing the RCMP for defamation, seeking damages of $4.9 million over how they say the police force handled the investigation.
In the lawsuit against the Brossard mayor, Sino-Québec and Li are asking for a total of $68,000 in moral and punitive damages.
Assad’s office declined to comment since the matter is before the court.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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