Vincent Ke

Wenbin "Vincent" Ke MPP is a Canadian politician who has been the member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Don Valley North since June 7, 2018, sitting as a Progressive Conservative (PC). He is the first mainland-Chinese Canadian immigrant elected as a PC MPP.

Vincent Ke
MPP
柯文彬
Vincent Ke
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
for Don Valley North
Assumed office
June 7, 2018
Preceded byRiding established
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries (Culture and Sport)[note 1]
Assumed office
June 26, 2019
MinisterLisa MacLeod
Personal details
BornFujian, China
Political partyProgressive Conservative
Children1
Residence(s)North York, Ontario
OccupationPolitician

Background

Ke was born in Quanzhou, Fujian, China, and immigrated to Canada in 1998.[1] He holds an undergraduate degree in engineering from Fuzhou University in China and a Master’s from Ruhr University in Germany.[2][3] Prior to his election, Ke worked for Conec—a German firm which has sites in Shanghai and Brampton—from 1999 to 2018. His role with the company was as an electronic engineer.[2] Ke is also registered as an insurance agent by the Financial Services Commission of Ontario.[3][4]

Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), the province's regulatory body for engineers, instructed Ke to stop using the title of engineer following complaints that he was doing so without being licensed as a professional engineer with PEO.[2]

Political career

Ke was elected to the Legislative Assembly following the 2018 provincial election.[5] He was appointed as the parliamentary assistant to the minister of heritage, sport, tourism and culture industries (culture and sport) on June 26, 2019.[6]

Criticism

Ke's ties to the Chinese consulate were questioned by the National Post in a 2019 article.[3] In particular, the National Post reported that Ke maintained ties with groups linked to the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department.[3] The National Post provided Ke's office with a list of questions about his connections to the Chinese government including the possibility he joined the Chinese Communist Party, his ties with the Chinese consulate and a 2013 trip to China for a government-run workshop. In response, Ke's office said that he was "honoured to be a part of Doug Ford’s government" and that he would focus on "ensuring a strong voice for the constituents of Don Valley North at Queen’s Park".[3] Premier Doug Ford's office also provided a response, stating that "MPP Ke is an important part of the Progressive Conservative caucus and represents his constituents with their best interests in mind".[3]

In a 2021 article, the National Post criticized Ke for seeming "over-eager to defend China, rather than being too worried about anti-Asian hate," after Ke and Scarborough—Agincourt MPP Aris Babikian spoke out about a sign at a Chinese physician's office describing COVID-19 as "Wuhan pneumonia" in Chinese.[7]

Electoral record
2018 Ontario general election
Party Candidate Votes%
Progressive ConservativeVincent Ke17,91344.44
LiberalShelley Carroll12,47030.93
New DemocraticAkil Sadikali8,43120.91
GreenJanelle Yanishewski1,0152.52
LibertarianSarah Matthews2830.70
None of the AboveAlexander Verstraten2000.50
Total valid votes 40,312100.0  
Eligible voters 74,045
Turnout 54.44%
Source: Elections Ontario[8][9]

References
  1. 《高端访谈》对话安省保守党省议员候选人 - 柯文彬, retrieved 2020-01-03
  2. Blackwell, Tom (September 19, 2019). "Regulator looks at Ontario MPP after accusations he improperly claimed to be an engineer". National Post. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  3. Blackwell, Tom (September 6, 2019). "MPP's ties to China raise questions about how close Canadian politicians should get to foreign powers". National Post. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  4. "Agents Licensed in Ontario". alias2a.fsco.gov.on.ca. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  5. Winsa, Patty (June 7, 2018). "PC's Vincent Ke takes Don Valley North". Toronto Star.
  6. "Premier Ford Announces Parliamentary Assistant Assignments as Part of Ontario's Government for the People" (Press release). Office of the Premier. 29 June 2018. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  7. Blackwell, Tom (April 29, 2021). "'Wuhan pneumonia': Ontario MPPs urge Chinese-Canadian doctor to remove 'divisive' sign". National Post. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  8. "Candidate Search". Elections Ontario. Archived from the original on June 8, 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  9. "Don Valley North Election Night Results". Archived from the original on June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.

Notes
  1. Known as Tourism, Culture and Sport before October 31, 2019.
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