Ottawa says it only learned Chinese police ran visa centre this year theglobeandmail.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theglobeandmail.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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OTTAWA - Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says he assumes security authorities signed off on an arrangement to allow a company owned by a Chinese polic.
Still, he says he s been assured by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that the personal information provided by visa applicants is secure.
He says the information is handled according to Canada s privacy laws, that no application or biometrically collected data is stored at the centre and that all databases containing personal information are located in Canada.
Questions have been raised about the centre since The Globe and Mail reported earlier this month that its operation has been subcontracted to Beijing Shuangxiong Foreign Service Company, which is owned by the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.
Opposition MPs questioned Blair about the possibility that visa applicants personal information could be relayed to the Chinese government and cause negative repercussions, particularly for dissidents trying to flee the country s repressive Communist regime.