Adams calls the cancellations of performances “disturbingly similar” to how the CCP silences events, organizations, and artists inside China.

By Probe International [Based on a report by Olivia Gomm for The Epoch Times]

The cancellation of Shen Yun performances in Toronto due to a bomb threat linked to Beijing has raised serious concerns about the influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on free expression and cultural events outside of China.

Speaking to The Epoch Times, Patricia Adams, executive director of Probe International, described the situation as “disturbingly similar” to tactics employed by the CCP to suppress dissent and disrupt events within China. The incident, she said, reflects a broader pattern of intimidation, where the CCP seeks to sow fear and undermine confidence in institutions, ultimately aiming to control narratives and silence voices that challenge its authority, inside and outside of China.

Adams points out that the lack of pushback from local authorities in Toronto is particularly alarming.

The implications of these cancellations extend beyond the immediate loss of artistic expression, warns Adams; it threatens to destabilize public trust in safety and security within Canadian society. By drawing parallels between the suppression of dissent in China and the recent events in Canada, Adams calls for a strong response from the government and law enforcement to ensure that such intimidation tactics are not tolerated.

Joel Chipkar, spokesperson for the Falun Dafa Association of Toronto (FDAT), the local presenter of the Shen Yun performance, declared the cancellations a “complete assault on our safety, our sovereignty, and the artistic community.”

The Epoch Times notes that despite fake bomb threats targeting Shen Yun across Canada—most recently at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, where the show went on after police deemed the threat non-credible—the decision by the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts to cancel its performances means over 10,000 ticket holders will miss out. The Canadian Opera Company, which operates the venue, cited “an abundance of caution” for the cancellation, raising serious concerns about artistic freedom and Canadian sovereignty.

“I think the only way to deal with that sort of thing is to not accept it—for the government not to accept it, for the police not to accept it—and to give every confidence to the audience that they should go [to the show] and they will enjoy it,” said Adams.

In other words, Canada should not bow to foreign interference, which begs the question: why did Toronto?

Overall, full “shutdowns” of Shen Yun performances are rare outside of China and Hong Kong, with notable exceptions in South Korea and Spain.

The 2026 tour is described as the largest in the company’s history, with eight touring troupes operating simultaneously across five continents. Recent reports indicate that the Shen Yun Performing Arts company has faced over 150 “false bomb threats” worldwide. Despite the CCP’s unrelenting menace to the dance troupe, its members, and performing venues, Shen Yun’s events in the U.S. have continued.

The Chinese Communist Party has framed the Shen Yun company and its performances as a formidable threat due to its deep ties to Falun Gong, a spiritual practice banned and persecuted by the regime since 1999. Shen Yun not only showcases traditional Chinese culture but also challenges the Party’s narrative and ideological control, making it a target of intense transnational repression. Employing a range of tactics—including diplomatic pressure, economic coercion, harassment of performers’ families, and even sabotage—the CCP seeks to disrupt Shen Yun’s global reach and, thus, its voice beyond China’s Great Firewall.

At the heart of the CCP’s fear is Shen Yun’s presentation of a “China before communism.” Shen Yun offers an alternative account that undermines the CCP’s claims to represent Chinese civilization. This cultural resistance not only resonates with audiences worldwide but also provides the Chinese diaspora with a powerful touchstone that exists outside of Beijing’s control. Ultimately, the CCP’s aggressive campaign against Shen Yun reveals its deep-seated vulnerabilities and fear of any force that exposes and challenges the Party’s ideological monopoly.

Instead of capitulation to the Chinese communist regime’s crusade against Shen Yun, the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto should have stood behind the dance company, Patricia Adams told The Epoch Times. In doing so, they would “have done a very good thing, I think.”