Liberal MP Han Dong resigns from caucus amid foreign interference allegations

Han Dong, the member of Parliament at the centre of allegations of Chinese meddling in Canadian affairs, says he is resigning from the Liberal caucus and will sit as an Independent.

Dong tells the House of Commons Wednesday night that some media outlets have reported unverified and anonymous sources that have attacked his reputation and called into question his loyalty to Canada.

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Global News, citing unnamed security sources, published a report alleging that Dong spoke about Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig with a Chinese diplomat in Toronto in February 2021.

At the time, the two Canadian men had been detained in China for just over two years in apparent retaliation for the December 2018 arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on a U.S. extradition warrant.

“Let me assure you, as a parliamentarian, and as a person, I have never and would never, ever advocate or support the violation of the basic human rights of any Canadian,” Dong said Wednesday.

Dong, the MP for Don Valley North since 2019, told Global News that he did meet with the diplomat but disputed how the conversation about the men known as the “two Michaels” was characterized.

He tells the House of Commons the reports are false, and that he will defend himself.

“Media reports today quoted unverified, anonymous sources, that have attacked my reputation and called into question my loyalty to Canada,” he said. “Business of Government and indeed the business of parliament is now interrupted as I work to clear my name. And the truth is presented to Parliament and to Canadian people.”

Meanwhile, a political scientist at the University of The Fraser Valley says it’s not good news for the Liberal government, however, he points out that reports suggest the Chinese government has been working to influence politics across the federal, provincial, and municipal levels for decades.

“There has been a concerted effort by the government of China over the last 20 or 30 years to influence outcomes. Whether they’ve succeeded in that or just attempted, is yet to be determined,” UFV associate professor Hamish Telford told CityNews.

“We don’t know what the next shoe is to drop. Will there be further leaks that impugn the character and integrity of this individual? And that may be the case and it may become untenable for him to continue to hold his seat in Parliament. We will just have to see how the story evolves.”

The opposition parties are pushing for a public inquiry into foreign interference, however, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has so far rejected the idea, but instead, has appointed a former governer-general to look into the best options moving forward.

“These are extremely serious allegations. But of course, these are allegations that have been made anonymously, by presumably by security officials, rather than the police,” Telford said.

–With files from Kurtis Doering and Dean Recksiedler