Case against ex-Mountie charged with helping China can go ahead in Quebec, judge says

LONGUEUIL, Que. — A Quebec court judge has ruled that the case against a former RCMP officer charged with helping China conduct foreign interference can go ahead in the province.

Judge Sacha Blais denied William Majcher’s bid to quash the indictment against him.

Lawyers for the 61-year-old argued in April that the charges should have been filed in British Columbia or Ontario rather than in Quebec, which has no specific ties to the alleged infractions.

But Blais says the law clearly states that an offence against the Security of Information Act can be tried anywhere in Canada, regardless of where it was committed.

Majcher, who attended the hearing by video conference, is charged under the act with conspiracy and with committing preparatory acts for the benefit of a foreign entity. 

Authorities allege Majcher, a resident of Hong Kong, used his network of Canadian contacts to obtain intelligence or services that benefited the People’s Republic of China.

His charge sheet says he committed the crimes in Vancouver, Toronto, Hong Kong, and other unnamed places in Canada, China and “elsewhere in the world.”

The case returns to court in June in Longueuil, Que., south of Montreal, and the trial is scheduled for October.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press