As part of our project, we did two things. We conducted a survey in Canada, trying to access members of the community. We also spoke with 25 individuals who are affiliated with the diaspora groups you mentioned, although “diaspora” is not the right name for some of those groups—or at least it is not how they like to be identified. However, those were the experiences they attested to.
I want to note that this project was looking specifically at PRC transnational repression. We are very much aware that there are other groups in Canada affected by other foreign state actors.
In this context, yes, those were the group members who shared those experiences.