[. . . . ] Insight has obtained a copy of the Asian Organized Crime Roster of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or RCMP, listing Stanley Ho - who handed the check [for $250,000] to Clinton at a 1997 White House reception to fund the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial - as a suspected "leader/member" of the notorious Kung Lok triad.

This is the first concrete indication that a major Western law-enforcement agency [RCMP] considers Ho an organized-crime figure. Earlier reports characterized Ho as "associated" with the triads, but not a "leader" or "member." According to a separate Canadian Security Intelligence Service report, the triads are involved in "drug trafficking; money laundering; corruption; computer-software piracy; credit-card forgery and fraud; counterfeit currency and identification operations; and migrant smuggling. They will often provide direction to Chinese gangs in exchange for the `muscle' needed in some triad operations."

[. . . . ] The Vancouver Province reported that senior Canadian politicians - [. . .] - have "feted and wooed" Ho, and that "despite the listing 10 years ago, Ho has unfettered access to Canada and its top politicians and is a major contributor to political parties in Canada." The RCMP roster, first issued in 1990, remains current, according to the report.

[. . . . ] A 1994 RCMP report says the triads seek legitimacy by "ingratiating themselves with police, government officials and politicians. The easiest way for them is by making substantial contributions to charitable organizations, joining service clubs, donating funds to universities, sometimes obtaining honorary doctorate degrees, or contributing to political parties. Public photographs of triad figures with politicians is another favorite technique."

One of the most successful means of reaching decision-makers, apart from helping them succeed in their private businesses, is to donate to their political campaigns or their favorite charities.

***#1. Media/I.D.A. Vision is the [Liberal] government's "agency of record"-- meaning it buys and places all government advertising on television and in newspapers and magazines across Canada. The huge contract is coveted by many Canadian firms.***

***#2. Media/I.D.A. Vision has retained Peter Clark, a Toronto-based lawyer at Heenan Blaikie, and is in discussions with senior Public Works officials to allay concerns officials have about the Auditor-General's report and continuing contracts. ***

MONTREAL - Former prime minister Jean Chrétien is starting off the new year with a new job – working for Montreal-based law firm Heenan Blaikie LLP.

[. . . . ] Chrétien, who turns 70 on Jan. 11, is not the first former Liberal prime minister to earn a paycheque from Heenan Blaikie. Pierre Trudeau also worked for the firm in Montreal until his death in 2000.

[. . . . ] He was a member of Parliament from 1963 to Dec. 12, 2003, except for a four-year break from 1986 to 1990 . . .

During the hiatus, Chrétien acted as counsel for the Vancouver-based law firm of Lang Michener Lawrence & Shaw and was a senior advisor with Montreal's Gordon Capital Corporation. ***

In the game of influence, several of these important Chinese entrepreneurs have associated themselves with prestigious and influential Canadian politicians, in turn providing them positions on their boards of directors.

One of these politicians happens to be Prime Minister Chretien

[. . . ] From 1986 to 1990, during a four-year hiatus from politics, Chretien served as senior adviser for the brokerage house of Gordon Capital. According to the spiked report, Richard Li bought 50.1 percent of Gordon Capital in 1985.***

The chairman of Hutchison Whampoa is the subject of a parliamentary investigation in Canada, according to reports published by Canadian newspapers. The investigation, code named Operation Sidewinder, targeted powerful Chinese businessmen to determine if they were facilitating the purchase of Canadian companies with funds provided by the Chinese mafia. In its latest report, Transparency International ranked China as one of the most corrupt countries and classified Chinese corporations as willing to pay bribes.

[. . . . ] U.S. intelligence agencies have identified Li as a member of the board of the China International Trust and Investment Corporation, that is CITIC, which is a principal funding arm of the Chinese and a technology-acquiring source for China's military. In fact, in 1979 Li was the founding member of CITIC. In 1997 Rand Corporation stated, ''CITIC does enter into business partnerships with and provide logistical assistance to the People's Liberation Army.''

[. . . . ] Li is also a business partner of the giant Communist Chinese shipping firm COSCO, which in addition to commercial transport, acts as the merchant marine for the Chinese military. COSCO has been involved in shipping Chinese missile technology and biological warfare components to North Korea, Pakistan, Iraq, and Iran. A November 1999 Hong Kong report, which I request be admitted as evidence in this hearing, cites COSCO's merchant ships as being fitted by the People's Liberation Army to conduct military operations, including mine-laying and anti-submarine warfare.

[. . . . ] Li Ka-Shing has also engaged in numerous business partnerships with the Red Chinese Resources Company, a firm that has been identified by U.S. congressional investigators as a front for Beijing's intelligence agencies. ***