CBC Investigates

Why was a senior government official talking with Bill Boyd before his infamous business trip to China?

CBC has learned that in the weeks leading up to Bill Boyd’s now-infamous trip to China, during which the then-MLA pitched an immigration scheme, he called the senior Saskatchewan official responsible for China, William Wang.

Critic says phone records of government's point person in China raise questions about 'who knew what and when'

Geoff Leo · CBC News ·
For years, former Saskatchewan minister Bill Boyd and William Wang, Saskatchewan's director of Greater China, made investment attraction trips to China together. (www.enhome.ca)

In the weeks leading up to Bill Boyd's now-infamous business trip to China, during which the then-MLA pitched an immigration scheme to investors, he had a phone conversation with the Saskatchewan government's director of Greater China, William Wang. 

When Boyd was a minister in the Saskatchewan government, Wang was his right hand man on matters relating to China. The two regularly went on investment attraction trips to the country.William Wang served as Minister Bill Boyd's translator during their many investment attraction trips to China. (fashion.creaders.net)

Wang's cell phone records show he spoke briefly with Boyd and Boyd's business associate, Ning Xu, not long before Boyd and Xu went to China to hold a March 18, 2017 seminar for Chinese nationals interested in being allowed to immigrate to Canada through investing in Boyd's business. 

It's not something that can be brushed off. It needs to be subject to vigilance.- Todd MacKay , Canadian Taxpayer's Federation

In August, Saskatchewan's Conflict of Interest Commissioner found that in conducting his business, Boyd breached the rules by falsely claiming the government supported his business. 

Todd MacKay with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, who obtained the phone records through access to information, said after CBC broke the news of Boyd's trip to China, "the government was very quick and emphatic to say that it didn't know anything about what Mr. Boyd was doing."

MacKay said the phone records raise questions about just how vigilant the government really was. 

"Mr. Wang is responsible for a lot of the Saskatchewan government's work in ChIna so he'd be the natural place where you'd first check to see whether anyone in the government knew what Mr. Boyd was up to," said Mackay.

MacKay said while the phone call appears to have been just a minute in length it may have significant implications. 

"Maybe it was nothing," he acknowledged. "But given what happened subsequently when Mr. Boyd goes to China... runs afoul of ethics rules, that makes that conversation important. It's not something that can be brushed off. It needs to be subject to vigilance."Todd Mackay with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation says a phone call between Bill Boyd and William Wang raises questions. (CBC News)

Timeline:

  • January 25, 2017 — Phone call between William Wang and Ning Xu.
  • February 1, 2017 — Phone call between William Wang and Bill Boyd.
  • February 20 to March 8, 2017 — William Wang goes on "Investment attraction mission" to China.
  • March 18, 2017 — Bill Boyd and Ning Xu hold investment seminar in China.
  • August 16, 2017 — CBC breaks the story about Boyd's immigration scheme.
  • August 28, 2017 — Conflict of Interest Commissioner rules against Boyd.
  • August 31, 2017 — Boyd resigns from politics.

Wang and Boyd go to China

In early 2017, while Boyd was planning his business trip to China, Wang was planning a business trip of his own. He was going to China on an "investment attraction mission" on behalf of the government of Saskatchewan. 

In an interview, Xu told CBC's iTeam he knew about Wang's impending trip to China because they are connected on social media.

When asked why he spoke with Wang he said he couldn't precisely remember but "maybe I just ask him when he go, when he back," said Xu. At that time, he wasn't sure of Wang's precise schedule and he said "we think maybe if he has time, we can meet somewhere" while they were all in China.

It turned out, Wang's trip was from Feb. 20 to March 8 while Boyd and Xu's seminar was on March 18. As a result, Xu said, "we did not meet him."

Xu said he has known of Wang and his connection to the Saskatchewan government for years.  

"Because he was in charge of something in government, if somebody wants to know something maybe we can say 'You can ask William because he works for the government,'" Xu explained in a phone conversation. He said while he knows Wang, he didn't talk to him very often and when he did it was "just for work purpose, not personal."Bill Boyd says during the Beijing seminar he focused on issues related to farming and irrigation while his associate Ning Xu addressed immigration related topics. (saskey.com)

Government officials "review" questions about Wang

According to Wang's phone records, he had a one minute conversation with Boyd on February 1 — less than three week before Wang went on his investment attraction trip. 

Wang wouldn't answer questions directly about the phone call. Instead, he suggested CBC direct its questions to government communications officials. 

The government should have been checking at every corner to see what could have gone wrong, who knew what and when.- Todd MacKay , Canadian Taxpayers Federation

In reply, an official wrote "the Strategic Policy and Competitiveness branch within the Ministry of Trade and Export Development has reviewed your questions." 

They confirmed that, based on phone records, Wang did phone Boyd, "however the nature of the call, which was only a minute in length, is something he does not recall." 

But, the ministry said, Wang does know what the call was not about.

"The call would not have been regarding the companies you referenced or the individuals (Boyd's business associates) as he was not aware of the relationship until the CBC article on August 16, 2017."

CBC sent Boyd an email and a text asking him about these issues but he did not reply. Boyd is no longer a politician. He resigned at the end of August 2017. 

'At very best, this situation is sloppy'

While government officials immediately acknowledged Wang's phone call with Boyd, based on the phone records, it said nothing of Wang's phone conversation with Xu. 

In it's initial response the government merely acknowledged Wang knew of Xu but it didn't disclose the two men had spoken by phone.

In a follow-up email, CBC pointed out that Wang and Xu did in fact speak over the phone on Jan. 25, 2017, about a month before Wang's trip to China. 

A ministry official replied "Mr. Wang does not recall the subject of the call." The official pointed out that Wang speaks with lots of people and this call was 18 months ago. 

CBC asked why Wang and the government failed to acknowledge the phone call had occurred until CBC brought in to their attention. Bill Boyd seminar in China 3:16

"He has advised that he simply did not recall the conversation with Mr. Xu," the official said. 

MacKay said the ministry's lack of diligence is not acceptable. 

"At very best this situation is sloppy," said MacKay. He said given the seriousness of this situation, "this government can't afford to be sloppy on this issue."

"The government should have been checking at every corner to see what could have gone wrong, who knew what and when. Apparently some of these issues, no one's even looked at them more than a year later," he said.

Read the ruling on Boyd by Saskatchewan's conflict of interest commissioner here:

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