Tim Cheung (@TimCheung)

" #BritishColumbia’s third-biggest #school district sent eight officials and 11 teachers to #China for spring break. But the top officials are reluctant to talk about it. #SchoolDistrict No. 43 ( #Coquitlam) chair #MichaelThomas, vice-chair #CarolBrodie and #superintendent #PatriciaGartland did not respond for comment. Spokesperson #KenHoff said by email that it was the first time since the pandemic began that the Coquitlam district resumed exchanges with China. Four #trustees, four administrators and 11 #teachers were on the junket, which was primarily funded by the #Zhejiang #Education Bureau in #Hangzhou and South China Normal University ( #SCNU) in #Guangzhou. SCNU is Coquitlam’s partner in the #Chinese #Language and Culture Institute, formerly the #ConfuciusInstitute...Gartland was featured in a 2017 #documentary called 'In the Name of #Confucius' that took a critical look at China’s chain of Confucius Institutes and how they are used to spread Chinese #Communist Party propaganda in western countries. In an interview with #filmmaker #DorisLiu, Gartland scoffed at a question about China’s human rights record...Gartland also said the school board can receive grants 'from any source and if we receive it from the government of China, we are proud to do so'. Gartland provided a video greeting for Year of the Tiger Lunar New Year celebrations in 2022, specifically naming the Chinese #consulate general and the Chinese #Students and #Scholars Association, the organization for #foreign #students that is ultimately controlled by the Chinese government." https://www.facebook.com/ChinaCreepingAuthoritarianism/posts/pfbid02phTtKXYqyHfGvoXpQWMAGKoKErpB9pyWdRs7VhCDNrazgss7KmBGga5EBkRiDrEjl