Kenny Chiu

Kenny Chiu
Shadow Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Youth
In office
September 7, 2020 – September 20, 2021
LeaderErin O'Toole
ShadowingBardish Chagger
Preceded byPosition established
Member of Parliament
for Steveston—Richmond East
In office
October 21, 2019 – August 15, 2021
Preceded byJoe Peschisolido
Succeeded byParm Bains
Personal details
Born1965 (age 58–59)
British Hong Kong
Political partyConservative
ResidenceRichmond, British Columbia[1]
ProfessionSoftware engineer
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese趙錦榮
Simplified Chinese赵锦荣
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhào Jǐnróng
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationJiuh Gám-wìhng
JyutpingZiu6 Gam2-wing4

Kenny Chiu (Chinese: 趙錦榮; born 1965) is a former Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of Steveston—Richmond East in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2019 federal election.[2]

Chiu immigrated to Canada in 1982 from Hong Kong,[3] and studied computer science at the University of Saskatchewan. In 2011, he was elected as a Richmond school board trustee.[4] He ran in the 2015 federal election for Steveston—Richmond East[5] and was defeated by Joe Peschisolido.[6] He ran again in 2019, this time defeating Peschisolido.

He lost to the Liberal candidate, Parm Bains, in the 2021 federal election.[7] He was an outspoken critic of Beijing’s crackdown on dissent and protest in Hong Kong, which led to a state-sponsored disinformation campaign against him contributing to his defeat.[8][9][10] A report by Global Affairs Canada stated that Chiu was targeted by social media accounts controlled by the China News Service.[11]

  1. ^ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  2. ^ Chan, Cheryl (October 21, 2019). "Conservative Kenny Chiu defeats Liberal incumbent Joe Peschisolido in Steveston-Richmond East". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  3. ^ "新科國會議員趙錦榮 做好準備迎接新挑戰" (in Traditional Chinese). Sing Tao Daily. October 24, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  4. ^ Campbell, Alan (November 19, 2011). "School board election dominated by Richmond First". Richmond News. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  5. ^ Wood, Graeme (June 11, 2014). "Trustee throws hat in federal ring". Richmond News. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  6. ^ Azpiri, Jon (October 19, 2015). "Liberal Joe Peschisolido elected in Steveston-Richmond East". Global News. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  7. ^ Blackwell, Tom. "Defeated Conservative MP fears attacks by pro-Beijing forces swung votes against him". National Post. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  8. ^ Chase, Steven (January 7, 2022). "Disinformation campaign against former MP Kenny Chiu a disturbing precedent, researchers say". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  9. ^ Onishi, Norimitsu (July 15, 2023). "Canadian Politicians Who Criticize China Become Its Targets". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  10. ^ Onishi, Norimitsu (April 4, 2024). "Canadian Politicians Were Targeted by China in 2021, Report Says". The New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  11. ^ Wood, Graeme (April 3, 2024). "Chinese Communist Party-linked media targeted B.C. MP, inquiry hears". Richmond News. Archived from the original on April 3, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024.