Vincent Ke

Wenbin "Vincent" Ke MPP (Chinese: 柯文彬) is a Canadian politician who has been the member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Don Valley North since June 7, 2018. Originally elected as a Progressive Conservative (PC), he stepped down from the caucus on March 10, 2023, following allegations of involvement in Chinese government election interference. He is the first mainland-Chinese Canadian immigrant elected as a PC MPP.

Vincent Ke
MPP
Ke in 2019
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
for Don Valley North
Assumed office
June 7, 2018
Preceded byRiding established
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery
In office
June 29, 2022 – March 10, 2023
MinisterKaleed Rasheed
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries (Culture and Sport)[note 1]
In office
June 26, 2019 – June 1, 2022
MinisterLisa MacLeod
Personal details
BornFujian, China
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations		Progressive Conservative (until 2023)
Children1
Residence(s)North York, Ontario
OccupationPolitician
Websitevincentkempp.com
Chinese name
Chinese柯文彬

Background

Ke was born in Quanzhou, Fujian, China, and immigrated to Canada in 1998.[1] He holds an undergraduate degree in engineering from Fuzhou University in China and a Master's from Ruhr University in Germany.[2][3] Prior to his election, Ke worked for Conec—a German firm which has sites in Shanghai and Brampton—from 1999 to 2018. His role with the company was as an electronic engineer.[2] Ke is also registered as an insurance agent by the Financial Services Commission of Ontario.[3][4]

Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), the province's regulatory body for engineers, instructed Ke to stop using the title of engineer following complaints that he was doing so without being licensed as a professional engineer with PEO.[2]

Political career

Ke was elected to the Legislative Assembly following the 2018 provincial election.[5] He was appointed as the parliamentary assistant to the minister of heritage, sport, tourism and culture industries (culture and sport) on June 26, 2019.[6] On June 29, 2022, he was appointed as the parliamentary assistant to the minister of public and business service delivery.[7]

Alleged Chinese government interference
Further information: 2019 Canadian Parliament infiltration plot and Chinese government interference in Canada

Ke's ties to the Chinese consulate were questioned by National Post writer Tom Blackwell in a 2019 article.[3] In particular, Blackwell reported that Ke maintained ties with groups linked to the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department.[3] Blackwell provided Ke's office with a list of questions about his connections to the Chinese government including the possibility he joined the Chinese Communist Party, his ties with the Chinese consulate and a 2013 trip to China for a government-run workshop. In response, Ke's office said that he was "honoured to be a part of Doug Ford’s government" and that he would focus on "ensuring a strong voice for the constituents of Don Valley North at Queen’s Park".[3] Premier Doug Ford's office also provided a response, stating that "MPP Ke is an important part of the Progressive Conservative caucus and represents his constituents with their best interests in mind".[3]

In a 2021 article, Blackwell criticized Ke for seeming "over-eager to defend China, rather than being too worried about anti-Asian hate," after Ke and Scarborough—Agincourt MPP Aris Babikian spoke out about a sign at a Chinese physician's office describing COVID-19 as "Wuhan pneumonia" in Chinese.[8]

On March 10, 2023, Global News reported that Ke served as a financial intermediary for the Chinese consulate as part of election interference efforts.[9] Ke denied the allegations and resigned from the Ontario PC caucus on the same day, so that he would not be a "distraction to the government and take away from the good work Premier Ford is doing for the province of Ontario".[10] Ford's office stated that "While the allegations against Mr. Ke are not proven, they are serious and deserve his full and undivided attention as he works to clear his name".[10] Ford later said "I have confidence that his name will be cleared", and that he would welcome Ke back into caucus if that occurred.[11]

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) had previously briefed the Ford's chief of staff in November 2022, which Ford described as sparse and "very secretive".[11]

In April 2023, Ke said that he had served Global News with a libel notice concerning their reporting about him.[12]

Allowance from party donors

During the 2022 provincial election, Ke and seven other PC MPPs were identified as having received an allowance from their PC riding associations, with Ke expensing meals, entertainment, gas and parking.[13] While allowed by provincial law, federal politicians are prohibited from doing the same, raising questions about aligning provincial and federal allowance rules.[13][14]

Electoral record
2022 Ontario general election: Don Valley North
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeVincent Ke15,04147.41+2.97
LiberalJonathan Tsao11,68536.83+5.91
New DemocraticEbrahim Astaraki3,1339.87-11.00
GreenOstap Soroka1,1793.72+1.16
New BlueJay Sobel6902.17
Total valid votes 31,728100.00
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 185
Turnout 3191340.6
Eligible voters 78,588
Progressive Conservative hold Swing -1.39
Source: Elections Ontario[15]
2018 Ontario general election: Don Valley North
Party Candidate Votes%
Progressive ConservativeVincent Ke18,04644.44
LiberalShelley Carroll12,55730.92
New DemocraticAkil Sadikali8,47620.87
GreenJanelle Yanishewski1,0392.56
LibertarianSarah Matthews2870.71
None of the AboveAlexander Verstraten2020.50
Total valid votes 40,607100.0
Rejected Ballots 135
Unmarked Ballots 166
Declined Ballots 102
Total Votes Cast 41,010
Progressive Conservative pickup new district.
Source: Elections Ontario[16][17][18]

References
  1. 《高端访谈》对话安省保守党省议员候选人 – 柯文彬, retrieved 2020-01-03
  2. Blackwell, Tom (September 19, 2019). "Regulator looks at Ontario MPP after accusations he improperly claimed to be an engineer". National Post. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  3. Blackwell, Tom (September 6, 2019). "MPP's ties to China raise questions about how close Canadian politicians should get to foreign powers". National Post. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  4. "Agents Licensed in Ontario". alias2a.fsco.gov.on.ca. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  5. Winsa, Patty (June 7, 2018). "PC's Vincent Ke takes Don Valley North". Toronto Star.
  6. "Premier Ford Announces Parliamentary Assistant Assignments as Part of Ontario's Government for the People" (Press release). Office of the Premier. 29 June 2018. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  7. "Premier Doug Ford Unveils Parliamentary Assistants". news.ontario.ca. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  8. Blackwell, Tom (April 29, 2021). "'Wuhan pneumonia': Ontario MPPs urge Chinese-Canadian doctor to remove 'divisive' sign". National Post. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  9. Cooper, Sam (March 10, 2023). "Ontario legislature member is part of alleged Beijing 2019 election-interference network: sources". Global News. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  10. Stone, Laura (2023-03-10). "Progressive Conservative MPP Vincent Ke leaves caucus after allegations of election interference". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  11. Stone, Laura (2023-03-21). "Doug Ford says his office received CSIS briefing about Toronto MPP Vincent Ke". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  12. The Canadian Press (2023-04-14). "Vincent Ke serves Global News with libel notice over allegations of election interference". CBC News. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  13. D'Mello, Colin (May 10, 2022). "8 Ontario PC MPPs received 'allowance' from party coffers". Global News. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  14. "Ontario NDP promise to ban MPP allowances from party donors". Global News. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
  15. "Vote Totals from Official Tabulation: Don Valley North (021)" (PDF). Elections Ontario. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  16. "Candidate Search". Elections Ontario. Archived from the original on June 8, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  17. "Don Valley North Election Night Results". Archived from the original on June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  18. "Poll by Poll Results - 2018 General Election". Elections Ontario. Retrieved October 15, 2018.

Notes
  1. Known as Tourism, Culture and Sport before October 31, 2019.
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