Han Dong Resigns From Liberal Caucus After Report Alleges He Told Chinese Diplomat to Hold Off on Releasing Two Michaels

Opposition parties reiterate calls for a public inquiry into Chinese election interference

Han Dong celebrates with supporters as a provincial Liberal candidate in the Toronto area on May 22, 2014. He was later elected as a Liberal MP. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press

MP Han Dong said March 22 he is resigning from the Liberal caucus after a news report alleged he had told a Chinese diplomat that Beijing should not release two Canadian citizens who had been arbitrarily detained in China, an allegation that Dong denies.

“I’m taking this extraordinary step because to sit in the government caucus is a privilege, and my presence there may be seen by some as a conflict of duty, and the wrong place to be as independent investigations pursues the facts in this matter,” Dong said in the House of Commons.

“I’ll be sitting as Independent so that the business of government and indeed the business of Parliament is not interrupted as I work to clear my name, and the truth is presented to Parliament and to Canadian people.”

A March 22 Global News report citing national security sources said Dong had in February 2021 advised Chinese consul general in Toronto, Han Tao, to hold off on releasing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who had been imprisoned in China for over two years by that time. The two Canadians’ detention is widely regarded as Beijing’s “hostage diplomacy” in retaliation for Ottawa’s arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. extradition request over fraud.

Dong has not responded to several requests for comment from The Epoch Times, but has denied the allegations to Global News.

Shortly after the publication of the Global article, opposition leaders renewed their calls for a public inquiry into the Chinese regime’s election interference. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has rejected those requests, saying he is taking other measures instead, including appointing a special rapporteur to look into the issue.

“These are extremely serious allegations,” NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh wrote on social media in response to the Global report. “If true, the safety of Canadians was put at risk for political gain.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also called out the Liberals, saying that “These are serious reports of actions that threaten the core of our Canadian democracy.”

“No more hiding. No more cover up,” he wrote on social media.

Allegations

According to the Global News article, which cited two anonymous national security sources, Dong was the one to initiate the conversation with the Chinese consul general. The sources alleged that Dong made the suggestion to continue holding the two Michaels because if they were released, “the Opposition Conservatives would benefit.”

The sources also alleged Dong recommended that Beijing “show some progress” in the case of Kovrig and Spavor, suggesting the move would benefit the Liberal Party, which was in the hot seat over the Chinese Communist Party’s treatment of the two men. The two Canadians had been imprisoned for over 1,000 days by the time of their release in September 2021, shortly after Meng reached a deferred prosecution agreement with the United States.

A man holds a sign with photographs of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who have been detained in China since December 2018, as people gather for a rally in support of Hong Kong democracy, in Vancouver on Aug. 16, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

Following Global’s article on March 22, the Chinese consulate in Toronto released a statement expressing displeasure with recent media reports of China’s alleged interference.

Dong also pushed back against allegations against him in a statement to Global News, disputing his initiation of the discussion with Han Tao and denying that he had advised Beijing to delay the release of the two Canadians.

“I raised the status of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig and called for their immediate release,” he wrote. “At every opportunity before they returned home, I adamantly demanded their release to Canada without delay. Any suggestions otherwise are false and are attempts to mislead you and your readers, and slander me,” he said.

The Liberal MP has been under public scrutiny since a Feb. 25 Global News report saying he was a “witting affiliate” in China’s interference in the 2019 federal election. The report alleged that Dong was among 11 Toronto-area candidates who received support from Beijing in that year’s contest. Dong has denies these allegations.

“As a Member of Parliament I have the utmost regard for the integrity of our democratic institutions and electoral processes,” he said.

“I strongly reject the insinuations in media reporting that allege I have played a role in offshore interference in these processes and will defend myself vigorously against such inaccurate and irresponsible claims that come from an unverified and anonymous source.”

Opposition MPs have repeatedly urged the Liberal government to hold a public inquiry, while also supporting an NDP motion calling for an inquiry that was passed by a House committee earlier this month.

“Nothing short of a full public inquiry will do. Full stop,” Sen. Leo Housakos wrote on social media on March 22, in response to the latest Global News report.

Trudeau has appointed former governor general David Johnston as a special rapporteur to look into the issue of foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Two other bodies—the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), a parliamentary committee that reports to the prime minister, and the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA), an external expert body, will also look into the issue of election interference.