MLARA setting the record straight

VANCOUVER, B.C. – The Maple Leafs Anti-Racism Action Association (MLARA) has issued a public statement to set the record straight. Media reports that appeared in several recent television and print outlets have failed to present the truth about our association and the motive of our actions.

We regret the action of one of our supporters had caused difficulties for Minister Joyce Murray and the Prime Minister. Our supporter’s action was driven by her deep frustration that our community has been maligned by a news report that appeared on Global TV on April 30, 2020. We stand by her action and the content of her WeChat post.

Our intention is pure. We support the freedom of the press and the important work of our journalists. We only ask that news reports be balanced, accurate and factual.

We have faith in our press corp and we appeal to their professionalism to help us to set the record straight.

The public statement is attached.

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About Maple Leafs Anti-Racism Action Association (MLARA)

MLARA a not-for-profit society formed by a group of Canadians and permanent residents. The association was registered under the BC Societies Act on May 14, 2020 under incorporation number S0073177.

One of the purposes of our society is to fight against racism and end hate crimes in Canada.

Membership of MLARA consists of Canadians who felt unfairly portrayed in an April 30th 2020 Global News report by Mr. Sam Cooper.

Website: www.mlara.org

CONTACTS:

Name: Mr. Jason Xie, Spokesperson Name: Mr. Ivan Pak, President

Maple Leafs Anti-Racism Actions Association Maple Leafs Anti-Racism Actions Association

Cell: 604-763-5528 Cell: 778-882-8134

E-mail: jxie@mlara.org E-mail: ipak@mlara.org

A public statement by Maple Leafs Anti-Racism Actions Association (MLARA)

Date: June 1, 2020

We would like to set the record straight about several recent news reports that have failed to present the truth about our association and the motive of our actions.
The reports were touched off by an appeal posted by one of our supporters on a WeChat group that is used by Minister Murray as a tool to stay in touch with the Chinese Canadian community.
We regret the WeChat post had caused difficulties for Minister Murray and Prime Minister Trudeau.
The post was an appeal authorized by MLARA and we stand by its content. Our supporter’s action was driven by her deep concern and frustration about the portrayal of the Chinese-Canadian community as agents for a foreign country. The portrayal appeared in a report filed by Mr. Sam Cooper that appeared on Global News on April 30, 2020. We share her feeling. Please refer to our previous Public Statement issued on May 27, 2020 for further comments about the report in question.
Mr. Trudeau was quoted by a CBC report that “he values the work journalists do right across the country”. Minister Murray, in the same CBC report, was quoted to have told the House that “muzzling journalists is never acceptable”.
MLARA couldn’t have agree with PM Trudeau and Minster Murray more. Indeed, in our public statement issued on May 27, we said: “As Canadians, we know the important work of media across the country. We are not attacking the integrity of Mr. Sam Cooper or calling him a racist.” We further stated in the same public statement that: “We are exploring the option of whether to take legal action against Mr. Sam Cooper and Global News not because we want to silence them.”
We hope that Prime Minister Trudeau and Minister Murray would contact MLARA and hear what we have to say and the concern that we have about Mr. Cooper’s report. We are Canadians and not some puppets of a foreign power as Mr. Cooper’s article wants you to believe.
Mr. Cooper’s report, either intentionally or un-intentionally mischaracterized ChineseCanadians’ humanitarian efforts to support their relatives in China as some sinister actions taken on behalf of a secretive foreign agency.
What we are asking is simple. We would like to see balanced, accurate and factual reports. Reports that also include the many contributions we have made to local communities to fight COVID-19.
10. As Canadians, we know this is a country made up of fair minded people. As consumers of Canadian news, we know our journalist are professionals who want to do their best to expose dangers to our country. Sowing mistrust towards the ChineseCanadian community in the minds of the general public is a danger to the harmony of our country.
11.We also know that Canadians want to know the truth. We are appealing to our journalists and fair minded news outlet editors to help us to set the record straight.

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