PEI “Backroom Boys” Shape Policy for PRC Trade Interests, Just Like Quebec’s Power Corp: Clement

Op/Ed: As with Quebec’s Power Corporation, rumored to hand-pick premiers and steer national policy, PEI’s democracy not as it appears

By Garry Clement

OTTAWA — Prince Edward Island has long projected an image of pastoral charm, close-knit communities, and democratic small-town values. Yet behind this bucolic veneer lies an unsettling reality: a tight-knit power elite manipulates political outcomes and public narratives for personal enrichment and geopolitical convenience.

What our investigative team has uncovered in preparation for our upcoming book, Canada Under Siege, is that much like the infamous sway of Power Corporation in Quebec — where corporate titans have long been rumored to hand-pick premiers and shape national policy — PEI’s political machinery is not as democratic as it appears.

These unelected powerbrokers thrive in the shadows, a club of influential "backroom boys," ensuring that elected officials reflect their interests rather than those of the general populace. The consequences are profound, especially when foreign interests — such as those suspected of ties to the People’s Republic of China — enter the picture.

What we found on Canada’s east coast, specifically in PEI, is a striking extension of the networks I first encountered as an RCMP liaison in Hong Kong in the 1990s — findings I later shared and developed in the background alongside my CSIS colleague Michel Juneau-Katsuya in the seminal Sidewinder intelligence report.

Nothing captures the shock of how deeply Beijing’s networks have embedded themselves across Canada — from coast to coast — more vividly than what we uncovered while delving into a peculiar conglomeration of Buddhist groups bearing Chinese Communist Party characteristics.

At the heart of this discussion lies the little-examined Bliss and Wisdom Buddhist Foundation, which has deep financial and ideological ties to the PRC. Despite mounting evidence linking the organization to Beijing’s United Front Work Department — China’s global political influence arm — the issue is consistently downplayed or ignored in provincial discourse.

Why? Because the elite class that manages the political landscape has no incentive to raise alarm bells over what may be seen as lucrative foreign investments. The same hands that select premiers, shape party platforms, and influence policy are often entwined with global capital, including money flowing from Chinese interests.

This pattern mirrors the modus operandi seen in larger provinces like Quebec, where Power Corporation’s influence over political life is legendary. Just as in Quebec, where complex networks of corporate influence quietly determine who leads and what policies rise to prominence, PEI’s democratic processes are steered by a clique of insiders whose loyalty lies more with wealth accumulation than with public service.

Perhaps most insidiously, this power elite sustains itself through economic manipulation. An often-overlooked strategy — quietly embedded in the political philosophy of Canadian liberalism — has been the deliberate expansion of both the middle and wealthy classes. As one insider bluntly stated:

“The extortion of the economy to create an even larger middle class. The Liberals needed to increase the wealthy class to stay in power — they need to create a bigger portion of rich and poor people.”

By artificially inflating sectors of the economy that benefit the politically connected — through construction booms, inflated real estate markets, or foreign capital influx — this elite class ensures the creation of more middle-class and upper-class voters who, feeling economically secure, are less likely to challenge the status quo.

At the same time, the growth of the “working poor” — those who live paycheck to paycheck — cements a dependent class that is easily manipulated by targeted government spending, social assistance, and political messaging.

This engineered inequality is not accidental. It is the bedrock of a political survival strategy that prioritizes the needs of the few over the many, silences critical voices, and ensures that PEI remains fertile ground for external influences like Bliss and Wisdom’s PRC connections.

The end result is a political landscape where true objectivity is impossible. Media, party politics, and even public discourse are subtly yet powerfully conditioned by an elite that has more in common with offshore interests and corporate lobbies than with the people they purport to represent.

In this environment, the PRC’s soft power operations find an easy foothold, masked as cultural exchange or economic opportunity. The unwillingness to scrutinize groups like Bliss and Wisdom stems not from ignorance but from a deliberate suppression of dissent by those who benefit from the status quo.

PEI stands at a crossroads. Will its citizens continue to accept oligarchic control masked as democracy, or will they demand transparency, accountability, and a clear-eyed assessment of foreign influence in their province’s political and economic life?

The stakes are high: what is at risk is not only the integrity of local governance but the sovereignty of Canadian democracy itself.

[Editor’s note: The foundation denies all allegations of ties to China’s influence arms. CBC, which has also reported on the group, recently issued a correction stating that its reporter had erroneously referred to Taiwan as a country China seeks to invade. Taiwanese officials criticized CBC for what they described as bowing to political pressure from Beijing.]

Material sources:

Bliss and Wisdom Buddhist Foundation in PEI

• Land acquisitions and community concerns
  A Taiwanese Buddhist organization, Bliss and Wisdom, has been acquiring large parcels of land in PEI, raising concerns among locals about potential ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the circumvention of land ownership laws.

• Alleged links to China’s United Front Work Department
  Investigations have highlighted concerns about Bliss and Wisdom’s reported ties to the CCP’s United Front Work Department, including ideological outreach and land acquisitions in PEI.

• Official denial of CCP involvement
  Bliss and Wisdom has publicly denied any involvement with the CCP, stating that participation in religious exchange conferences does not equate to political allegiance.

Political Influence in Quebec: Power Corporation

• Influence over Canadian prime ministers
  The Desmarais family’s Power Corporation has maintained close relationships with several Canadian prime ministers over the decades, leading to criticisms about its significant influence on national politics.

• Connections with prominent politicians
  Power Corporation has been associated with various political figures, including former prime ministers Jean Chrétien and Pierre Trudeau, as well as other notable politicians, suggesting a deep entanglement with Canada’s political landscape.

Elite Influence in PEI Politics

• Calls for political reform
  Shawn Driscoll, a leadership candidate for the PEI Progressive Conservative Party, has criticized the province’s political system, emphasizing the need to move away from backroom politics and the “old boys’ club” mentality.

  Former senior RCMP officer Garry Clement is author with Dean Baxendale and Michel Juneau Katsuya of the forthcoming book Canada Under Siege. He consults with corporations on anti-money laundering, contributed to the Canadian academic text Dirty Money, and wrote Undercover, In the Shady World of Organized Crime and the RCMP