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In July 2013, several dozen ethnic Chinese people hand-picked from various countries visited China for a government-run workshop — eight days of lectures and speeches from an array of officials.

The program would strive to help them “realize the Chinese dream and the common struggle,” a vice-chair of the state’s Overseas Chinese Affairs Office told the group.

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Among the participants was Vincent Ke, a community leader in Toronto chosen by the local consulate to take part in the event.

The invitation made sense, given Ke has often appeared at public events with consulate officials and, according to a documentary made with his co-operation, was a student “cadre” — a minor official typically viewed as “politically reliable” — in China and helped organize a Chinese students association in Germany.

Five years later, Ke would achieve a political milestone in Canada, becoming the first immigrant from mainland China to be elected as a Progressive Conservative member of the Ontario legislature.