An investigation of Buddhist landholdings in Canada’s smallest province raises alarms over potential conflicts of interest and foreign influence.

By Sam Cooper and Garry Clement | The Bureau

In Brief by Probe International

For the original article this summary is based on, see the publisher’s website here: Canadian Law Firm That Represented Buddhist Landholders Became a Pipeline of Lawyers Into Regulator That Investigated Them | The Bureau

A recent investigation into the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC) has raised concerns about regulatory capture in Prince Edward Island, particularly in relation to a probe into Buddhist landholdings from 2016 to 2018.

Reporting on the probe, The Bureau notes the investigation began as a legitimate inquiry into questionable real estate transactions—featuring an alleged cash payment of property tax arrears made by the leader of a Buddhist society on behalf of seemingly unrelated Taiwanese landowners—but sparked wider scrutiny regarding a potential connection between political patronage, elite influence, and foreign interests in Prince Edward Island.

IRAC aimed to assess whether foreign-linked entities had exceeded provincial ownership limits, but the inquiry was abruptly terminated in January 2018 without any public report, leading to speculation about transparency and accountability. Notably, several lawyers from Cox & Palmer, the firm representing the Buddhist organizations, later took positions within IRAC, raising questions about conflicts of interest.

The Bureau highlights these key appointments, which include Mary Lynne Kane, a former partner at Cox & Palmer, who became Deputy Minister of Communities, Land and Environment (overseeing land transactions), and Pam Williams, another firm veteran who was appointed Chief of Staff for Progressive Conservative Premier Dennis King. Just before his resignation, Premier King appointed Williams as Chair, CEO, and Commissioner of IRAC in early 2025.

This troubling pattern prompts The Bureau’s Sam Cooper and Garry Clement, a former RCMP investigator, to remark:

“Let’s pause for a moment to digest that.

A senior lawyer from the firm that represented the Buddhist entities under IRAC’s original review was hired by the Premier — who had publicly supported those same Buddhist groups — and was later appointed by him, on the eve of his departure, to lead the very regulator that once investigated them.”

Cooper and Clement assert “there is more” to come in this expose of the complexities of foreign ownership and influence in a province that has historically guarded against such practices, with approximately $500 million at stake in the ongoing controversy. As the investigation continues to provoke debate about the integrity of land governance in Prince Edward Island, the Buddhist groups at the center of the probe deny any improper dealings or connections to Beijing.