A Canadian lawmaker on Wednesday called for Ottawa to expel a Chinese diplomat accused of having sought to intimidate him and his family in Hong Kong over the MP’s criticisms of Beijing.
Conservative MP Michael Chong’s call was echoed by fellow opposition lawmakers who demanded action during a heated exchange in parliament in which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government was put on the back foot.
The outcry followed a damning report this week by the Globe and Mail claiming the government turned a blind eye to Beijing’s interference in Canadian affairs.
Citing classified documents and an anonymous security source, the newspaper said China’s intelligence agency had planned to target Chong and his relatives with sanctions for having voted in February 2021 for a motion condemning Beijing’s conduct in Xinjiang as genocide.
This was “almost certainly meant to make an example of this MP and deter others from taking anti-PRC positions,” it cited a Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) document as saying, using an acronym for the People’s Republic of China.
A diplomatic official at China’s consulate in Toronto was said to be involved in the intrigue.
“This person needs to be declared persona non grata immediately,” Chong told reporters in Ottawa after being briefed on the details by CSIS.
“The government (also) needs to come clean about who knew what and when and what they did about it,” he said, in comments followed by a blustering question and answer session of Parliament on the issue.
Trudeau earlier said CSIS had withheld the information about China’s threats to Chong two years ago.
“CSIS made the determination that it wasn’t something that needed to be raised to a higher level because it wasn’t a significant enough concern,” he explained.
But, he added, “Going forward, we’re making it very, very clear to CSIS and all our intelligence officials that when there are concerns that talk specifically about any MP, particularly about their family, those need to be elevated.”
Trudeau has faced growing pressure to take a hard line with Beijing following revelations that China sought to sway the outcomes of Canada’s 2019 and 2021 elections.
The accusations, which Beijing has denied, have become the focus of ongoing parliamentary committee hearings and investigations by Canada’s elections agency.
Federal police have also dismantled several illegal Chinese police stations in Canada allegedly set up to harass Chinese expatriates.