Rapporteur David Johnson, Eminent Canadian
- Thread starter Ron in Regina
- Start date
Meet the Chinese billionaire who donated to the Trudeau Foundation — The Globe and Mail
An examination of corporate records paints a picture of Zhang as a highly connected networker, whose close ties to Beijing should have raised flags long ago
Trudeau attended cash-for-access fundraiser with Chinese billionaires — The Globe and Mail
Guests included businessman who donated $1-million to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation and the University of Montreal Faculty of Law weeks after event
Funny "should have raised red flags long ago".
FFS Chinese flags are red.
FFS Chinese flags are red.
Surprise – An attempt by the Conservatives to have a parliamentary committee undertake a study aimed at “getting to the bottom of dishonest conduct and attempted foreign interference” of the Trudeau Foundation was voted down by the Liberals and the NDP on Monday.
Conservative MP Garnett Genuis was hoping to call on former foundation presidents Morris Rosenberg and Pascale Fournier to testify on the foundation’s governance and funding in relation to a controversial donation with possible ties to the Chinese government. He also wanted to call the three directors who remain on the board on an interim basis following the mass resignation of directors and executives last week, and several other witnesses.
(Mr. Rosenberg was recruited by Justin Trudeau to author a report on foreign interference in the 2021 Canadian federal election. The report concluded that foreign interference did not alter the outcome of the 2021 election, but Mr. Rosenberg's impartiality in preparing the report was questioned by the Conservative Party due to his acceptance of a $200,000 directed donation from the Chinese government while CEO of the Trudeau Foundation, but that’s just a coincidence)
The resignations followed leaks to the media by security sources that a large donation to the foundation in 2016 by businessman Zhang Bin had been secretly arranged and backed by the communist regime in Beijing. It was intended as part of a Chinese-influence campaign targeting Justin Trudeau, who was then on a political track to the prime minister’s office. A report by Montreal newspaper La Presse last week anonymously quoted directors saying they were quitting over a failure to refund the money to Zhang and the “ethical” behaviour of the foundation.
“It is becoming clear that there was, from the beginning, a concerted effort by the Xi Jinping regime to co-opt and shape the direction of this Liberal government and that those efforts targeted Justin Trudeau even before he took office,” said Genuis in presenting his motion to the standing committee on public accounts Monday morning.
NDP MP Blake Desjarlais pointed out that the Trudeau Foundation itself has said it would welcome an investigation by Auditor General Karen Hogan (appointed by Justin Trudeau on June 3rd, 2020) into the donation, and that Hogan would be best placed to prepare this audit in lieu of the committee members.
Desjarlais suggested finding another way for the committee to support such an audit, through amendments or with another motion altogether. Liberal MP Peter Fragiskatos then requested a vote to end the debate on Genuis’s motion, which passed with a majority of votes thanks to his party and the NDP. The Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois voted to pursue the debate.
(No mention of both of the MP’s that the Green Party consists of)
“This is done for now. You’re welcome to bring it forward to another committee,” the Conservative chair of the committee, John Williamson, told Genuis after the vote. The rest of this goat-rodeo at the below link:
apple.news
Conservative MP Garnett Genuis was hoping to call on former foundation presidents Morris Rosenberg and Pascale Fournier to testify on the foundation’s governance and funding in relation to a controversial donation with possible ties to the Chinese government. He also wanted to call the three directors who remain on the board on an interim basis following the mass resignation of directors and executives last week, and several other witnesses.
(Mr. Rosenberg was recruited by Justin Trudeau to author a report on foreign interference in the 2021 Canadian federal election. The report concluded that foreign interference did not alter the outcome of the 2021 election, but Mr. Rosenberg's impartiality in preparing the report was questioned by the Conservative Party due to his acceptance of a $200,000 directed donation from the Chinese government while CEO of the Trudeau Foundation, but that’s just a coincidence)
The resignations followed leaks to the media by security sources that a large donation to the foundation in 2016 by businessman Zhang Bin had been secretly arranged and backed by the communist regime in Beijing. It was intended as part of a Chinese-influence campaign targeting Justin Trudeau, who was then on a political track to the prime minister’s office. A report by Montreal newspaper La Presse last week anonymously quoted directors saying they were quitting over a failure to refund the money to Zhang and the “ethical” behaviour of the foundation.
“It is becoming clear that there was, from the beginning, a concerted effort by the Xi Jinping regime to co-opt and shape the direction of this Liberal government and that those efforts targeted Justin Trudeau even before he took office,” said Genuis in presenting his motion to the standing committee on public accounts Monday morning.
NDP MP Blake Desjarlais pointed out that the Trudeau Foundation itself has said it would welcome an investigation by Auditor General Karen Hogan (appointed by Justin Trudeau on June 3rd, 2020) into the donation, and that Hogan would be best placed to prepare this audit in lieu of the committee members.
Desjarlais suggested finding another way for the committee to support such an audit, through amendments or with another motion altogether. Liberal MP Peter Fragiskatos then requested a vote to end the debate on Genuis’s motion, which passed with a majority of votes thanks to his party and the NDP. The Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois voted to pursue the debate.
(No mention of both of the MP’s that the Green Party consists of)
“This is done for now. You’re welcome to bring it forward to another committee,” the Conservative chair of the committee, John Williamson, told Genuis after the vote. The rest of this goat-rodeo at the below link:
Committee probe into 'dishonest conduct' at Trudeau Foundation voted down by Liberals, NDP — National Post
Conservative MP Garnett Genuis hoped to call on two former foundation presidents to testify on the foundation in relation to a controversial Chinese donation
TyrannySurprise – An attempt by the Conservatives to have a parliamentary committee undertake a study aimed at “getting to the bottom of dishonest conduct and attempted foreign interference” of the Trudeau Foundation was voted down by the Liberals and the NDP on Monday.
Conservative MP Garnett Genuis was hoping to call on former foundation presidents Morris Rosenberg and Pascale Fournier to testify on the foundation’s governance and funding in relation to a controversial donation with possible ties to the Chinese government. He also wanted to call the three directors who remain on the board on an interim basis following the mass resignation of directors and executives last week, and several other witnesses.
(Mr. Rosenberg was recruited by Justin Trudeau to author a report on foreign interference in the 2021 Canadian federal election. The report concluded that foreign interference did not alter the outcome of the 2021 election, but Mr. Rosenberg's impartiality in preparing the report was questioned by the Conservative Party due to his acceptance of a $200,000 directed donation from the Chinese government while CEO of the Trudeau Foundation, but that’s just a coincidence)
The resignations followed leaks to the media by security sources that a large donation to the foundation in 2016 by businessman Zhang Bin had been secretly arranged and backed by the communist regime in Beijing. It was intended as part of a Chinese-influence campaign targeting Justin Trudeau, who was then on a political track to the prime minister’s office. A report by Montreal newspaper La Presse last week anonymously quoted directors saying they were quitting over a failure to refund the money to Zhang and the “ethical” behaviour of the foundation.
“It is becoming clear that there was, from the beginning, a concerted effort by the Xi Jinping regime to co-opt and shape the direction of this Liberal government and that those efforts targeted Justin Trudeau even before he took office,” said Genuis in presenting his motion to the standing committee on public accounts Monday morning.
NDP MP Blake Desjarlais pointed out that the Trudeau Foundation itself has said it would welcome an investigation by Auditor General Karen Hogan (appointed by Justin Trudeau on June 3rd, 2020) into the donation, and that Hogan would be best placed to prepare this audit in lieu of the committee members.
Desjarlais suggested finding another way for the committee to support such an audit, through amendments or with another motion altogether. Liberal MP Peter Fragiskatos then requested a vote to end the debate on Genuis’s motion, which passed with a majority of votes thanks to his party and the NDP. The Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois voted to pursue the debate.
(No mention of both of the MP’s that the Green Party consists of)
“This is done for now. You’re welcome to bring it forward to another committee,” the Conservative chair of the committee, John Williamson, told Genuis after the vote. The rest of this goat-rodeo at the below link:
Committee probe into 'dishonest conduct' at Trudeau Foundation voted down by Liberals, NDP — National Post
Conservative MP Garnett Genuis hoped to call on two former foundation presidents to testify on the foundation in relation to a controversial Chinese donation
I voted for a kinder, gentler, logical, well managed tyranny.
Opposition leaders slammed what they called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "lack of judgment" Tuesday after it was revealed he spent his Christmas vacation at the Jamaica home of a wealthy donor to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, which he has no intersection with…
Trudeau's Jamaica vacation shows 'lack of judgment,' opposition leaders say — CBC News
Opposition leaders slammed what they called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "lack of judgment" Tuesday after it was revealed he spent his Christmas vacation at the Jamaica home of a wealthy donor to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation.
Radio-Canada reported that Trudeau vacationed at Prospect, a "luxurious estate" with seaside villas owned by the Green family. Alexander and Andrew Green made a large donation to the foundation in 2021 to establish a scholarship in memory of their mother.
The Jamaica trip cost taxpayers roughly $160,000 because of travel-related security and personnel costs. The French-language arm of the CBC said some staff were also put up at a nearby all-inclusive resort, which cost the federal treasury.
Trudeau was reprimanded by Canada's ethics commissioner over a 2016 vacation to the Aga Khan's private island in the Bahamas — another trip that saddled taxpayers with the tens of thousands of dollars in costs that come when the prime minister travels abroad.
Irony…the sign on the podium, in the Regina Grocery Store from the unannounced photo-op to avoid protesters…in relation to his latest vacation.
From the CBC even. Trippy….
The choice of venue for grocery store in Regina makes sense now. If his plane overshot the runway, he could’ve wound up inside the grocery store anyway.
Quick in. Quick out. Sayonara Bitches!!
Quick in. Quick out. Sayonara Bitches!!
Holy Cow! Sounds like Mr. Trudeau has found a back-up Reportierrrierrerr….just in case they need another independent lookiloo to investigate something Justin doesn’t want investigated:
Opinion: Why is Justin Trudeau sowing confusion about a foreign influence registry? — The Globe and Mail
A foreign influence registry would oblige anyone who wants to influence public officials on behalf of a foreign government or a foreign state-owned company to register
Why sowing confusion? He is guilty of knowingly permitting foreign influence that benefitted his party and his position of power. That's why!
Opinion: Why is Justin Trudeau sowing confusion about a foreign influence registry? — The Globe and Mail
A foreign influence registry would oblige anyone who wants to influence public officials on behalf of a foreign government or a foreign state-owned company to registerapple.news
The Liberal Party has never cared where donations come from as long as they come .
OTTAWA -- The sister-in-law of a Liberal cabinet minister has stepped down as the interim ethics commissioner a day after a House of Commons committee agreed to investigate her appointment.
Martine Richard, who has worked in the commissioner's office as a lawyer since 2013, took over the top job last month for a six-month stint.
Richard is the sister-in-law of Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who was found to have breached conflict-of-interest rules in 2018 for approving a lucrative fishing licence for a family member while he was fisheries minister.
A statement from the office of the conflict of interest and ethics commissioner says Richard will stay on as a lawyer while the search for a new leader continues….so she stepped sideways.
A spokeswoman says neither the office nor Richard will respond to further questions on the subject.
On Tuesday, the committee on access to information, privacy and ethics agreed to study Richard's appointment over the course of three hearings, and to invite her and LeBlanc to testify.
Luckily, as far as ethics go, in the revolving door of ethics commissioners, Justin Trudeau’s Jamaican vacation got a pass for him to stay rent-free at the plantation of another Trudeau foundation donator, and these places go for $9000.00/night usually to the peons and non-Trudeau or nonTrudeau-affiliates.
www.ctvnews.ca
….& then the Punchline!!!:
apple.news
Interim Ethics Commissioner Martine Richard stepped down Wednesday following weeks of controversy over her family ties with a Liberal government minister, leaving the ethics commissioner’s office unable to fulfill key parts of its mandate for the foreseeable future….for the foreseeable future…
Conflict of Ethics and Interest Commissioner spokesperson Melanie Rushworth revealed that Richard had resigned from her position as interim commissioner and would return to her former position of senior general counsel at the ethics office after only three weeks on the job.
In a statement, Rushworth said that without an acting commissioner, “there are decisions the Office cannot proceed with based upon functions that only the Commissioner can undertake.”
Rushworth declined to detail which decisions she was referring to specifically. But in response to questions posed by National Post before Richard was appointed in late March, Rushworth noted that there are a series of powers in the Conflict of Interest Act and Code that are only available to the commissioner and that cannot be used otherwise.
“The authority of a Commissioner is however necessary for any provision in the Act or the Code that identifies an action to be taken by ‘the Commissioner’,” Rushworth said at the time.
The powers exclusively reserved to a commissioner are wide-ranging and key to the office’s mandate.
Most notably, only a commissioner can decide to launch an investigation into a possible ethics breach if the commissioner has “reason to believe that a public office holder or former public office holder has contravened” the law.
The fact that the ethics czar’s office can’t launch an investigation comes as the Liberals are embroiled in yet another controversy regarding vacation taken by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Radio-Canada revealed that this weeks scandal is that Trudeau and his family vacationed in December at an exclusive luxury estate in Jamaica owned by wealthy family friends who recently made a large donation to the Trudeau Foundation, the non-profit foundation tied to the prime minister’s family.
The Prime Minister’s Office has not said whether Trudeau paid for his stay at the lavish estate over the Christmas break, where rooms during peak season can cost thousands of dollars a night.
The PMO has argued that Trudeau cleared the travel with then ethics commissioner Mario Dion (who then stepped down before this shit-storm blew up) in advance of the trip.
But Ian Stedman, a York University assistant professor specializing in governance and ethics law, said that the commissioner’s office could still “1,000 per cent” investigate Trudeau’s Jamaican trip if new information came to light about the travel that wasn’t disclosed to Dion at the time.
“They come to the commissioner with facts and the commissioner has to accept them at face value” when seeking pre-approval before travel, Stedman said in an interview.
Dion’s opinion at the time “would only be worth the facts its based on,” he said. If Trudeau then goes on a vacation and it “doesn’t align with what was given to the commissioner for his opinion, then … I’d argue that the commissioner ought to investigate.”
But until a new commissioner is appointed, the office can’t begin a new investigation. On Twitter, Dion said he doesn’t expect his replacement as ethics commissioner to be appointed until “late in 2023.” (???? Well, at least he didn’t say late in 2025 I guess…????)
“Now, if there’s a new complaint, like there might be as a result of this vacation to Jamaica … they (the commissioner’s office) would have no one who can make the decision about whether or not to proceed with that investigation. It literally has to sit there,” he added.
(BUT Ian Stedman, a York University assistant professor specializing in governance and ethics law, said that the commissioner’s office COULD STILL “1,000%” investigate Trudeau’s Jamaican trip if new information came to light about the travel that wasn’t disclosed to Dion at the time.)
Ethics laws also state only the commissioner can order a public office holder to divest an asset or recuse themselves from discussions in which they are in conflict.
The commissioner is also the only person who can grant exceptions to public office holders from certain bans or obligations under ethics laws, such as the “cool-down period” during which they are prohibited from having any dealings involving their former responsibilities after leaving the government.
The ethics office also cannot publish a report without a commissioner in place.
On March 24, Rushworth told the Post that the absence of a commissioner at the time did “not affect the publication of any investigation reports as there are no ongoing investigations at this time.”
Stedman says its crucial for the Liberals to appoint a new ethics commissioner as quickly as possible….which probably means not late in 2023.
“I think they need to fill that position as fast as they possibly can, but they need to do it right as well. Going fast isn’t always the best thing, optics-wise,” he said, referring to Richard’s interim appointment.
The government is currently searching for a new permanent ethics commissioner after Dion stepped down in late February. National Post reported that the government appears to be cutting the job’s salary by $110,000, a move vehemently criticized by experts, the NDP and Bloc Québécois.
Martine Richard, who has worked in the commissioner's office as a lawyer since 2013, took over the top job last month for a six-month stint.
Richard is the sister-in-law of Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who was found to have breached conflict-of-interest rules in 2018 for approving a lucrative fishing licence for a family member while he was fisheries minister.
A statement from the office of the conflict of interest and ethics commissioner says Richard will stay on as a lawyer while the search for a new leader continues….so she stepped sideways.
A spokeswoman says neither the office nor Richard will respond to further questions on the subject.
On Tuesday, the committee on access to information, privacy and ethics agreed to study Richard's appointment over the course of three hearings, and to invite her and LeBlanc to testify.
Luckily, as far as ethics go, in the revolving door of ethics commissioners, Justin Trudeau’s Jamaican vacation got a pass for him to stay rent-free at the plantation of another Trudeau foundation donator, and these places go for $9000.00/night usually to the peons and non-Trudeau or nonTrudeau-affiliates.
Minister's sister-in-law steps down as ethics watchdog after committee launches probe
The sister-in-law of a Liberal cabinet minister has stepped down as the interim ethics commissioner a day after a House of Commons committee agreed to investigate her appointment.
….& then the Punchline!!!:
Interim ethics commissioner's resignation prevents new investigations into Liberal government — National Post
Without an acting commissioner, 'there are decisions the Office cannot proceed with based upon functions that only the Commissioner can undertake'
Conflict of Ethics and Interest Commissioner spokesperson Melanie Rushworth revealed that Richard had resigned from her position as interim commissioner and would return to her former position of senior general counsel at the ethics office after only three weeks on the job.
In a statement, Rushworth said that without an acting commissioner, “there are decisions the Office cannot proceed with based upon functions that only the Commissioner can undertake.”
Rushworth declined to detail which decisions she was referring to specifically. But in response to questions posed by National Post before Richard was appointed in late March, Rushworth noted that there are a series of powers in the Conflict of Interest Act and Code that are only available to the commissioner and that cannot be used otherwise.
“The authority of a Commissioner is however necessary for any provision in the Act or the Code that identifies an action to be taken by ‘the Commissioner’,” Rushworth said at the time.
The powers exclusively reserved to a commissioner are wide-ranging and key to the office’s mandate.
Most notably, only a commissioner can decide to launch an investigation into a possible ethics breach if the commissioner has “reason to believe that a public office holder or former public office holder has contravened” the law.
The fact that the ethics czar’s office can’t launch an investigation comes as the Liberals are embroiled in yet another controversy regarding vacation taken by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Radio-Canada revealed that this weeks scandal is that Trudeau and his family vacationed in December at an exclusive luxury estate in Jamaica owned by wealthy family friends who recently made a large donation to the Trudeau Foundation, the non-profit foundation tied to the prime minister’s family.
The Prime Minister’s Office has not said whether Trudeau paid for his stay at the lavish estate over the Christmas break, where rooms during peak season can cost thousands of dollars a night.
The PMO has argued that Trudeau cleared the travel with then ethics commissioner Mario Dion (who then stepped down before this shit-storm blew up) in advance of the trip.
But Ian Stedman, a York University assistant professor specializing in governance and ethics law, said that the commissioner’s office could still “1,000 per cent” investigate Trudeau’s Jamaican trip if new information came to light about the travel that wasn’t disclosed to Dion at the time.
“They come to the commissioner with facts and the commissioner has to accept them at face value” when seeking pre-approval before travel, Stedman said in an interview.
Dion’s opinion at the time “would only be worth the facts its based on,” he said. If Trudeau then goes on a vacation and it “doesn’t align with what was given to the commissioner for his opinion, then … I’d argue that the commissioner ought to investigate.”
But until a new commissioner is appointed, the office can’t begin a new investigation. On Twitter, Dion said he doesn’t expect his replacement as ethics commissioner to be appointed until “late in 2023.” (???? Well, at least he didn’t say late in 2025 I guess…????)
“Now, if there’s a new complaint, like there might be as a result of this vacation to Jamaica … they (the commissioner’s office) would have no one who can make the decision about whether or not to proceed with that investigation. It literally has to sit there,” he added.
(BUT Ian Stedman, a York University assistant professor specializing in governance and ethics law, said that the commissioner’s office COULD STILL “1,000%” investigate Trudeau’s Jamaican trip if new information came to light about the travel that wasn’t disclosed to Dion at the time.)
Ethics laws also state only the commissioner can order a public office holder to divest an asset or recuse themselves from discussions in which they are in conflict.
The commissioner is also the only person who can grant exceptions to public office holders from certain bans or obligations under ethics laws, such as the “cool-down period” during which they are prohibited from having any dealings involving their former responsibilities after leaving the government.
The ethics office also cannot publish a report without a commissioner in place.
On March 24, Rushworth told the Post that the absence of a commissioner at the time did “not affect the publication of any investigation reports as there are no ongoing investigations at this time.”
Stedman says its crucial for the Liberals to appoint a new ethics commissioner as quickly as possible….which probably means not late in 2023.
“I think they need to fill that position as fast as they possibly can, but they need to do it right as well. Going fast isn’t always the best thing, optics-wise,” he said, referring to Richard’s interim appointment.
The government is currently searching for a new permanent ethics commissioner after Dion stepped down in late February. National Post reported that the government appears to be cutting the job’s salary by $110,000, a move vehemently criticized by experts, the NDP and Bloc Québécois.
Breakfast with Justin.
Posted yesterday but still breakfast news to me.
Posted yesterday but still breakfast news to me.
MP Han Dong sues Global News for defamation over foreign meddling allegations
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Apr 20, 2023 • 3 minute read
OTTAWA — Toronto MP Han Dong is suing Global News and its parent company, Corus Entertainment, over stories he says portrayed him as a “traitor” and a knowing participant in Chinese interference in Canada.
The statement of claim, provided by his lawyers and filed Thursday with the Ontario Superior Court in Toronto, accuses Global News of publishing “false, malicious, irresponsible, and defamatory” stories that have “destroyed Dong’s hard-earned reputation and career.”
In March, Global published a story citing unidentified security sources who alleged Dong told a Chinese diplomat in February 2021 that releasing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor would benefit the Conservatives.
The two Canadian men at that time had been detained in China since December 2018, just over a week after the RCMP arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on a U.S. extradition warrant.
Global had previously published allegations that Dong benefited from Chinese foreign interference in his successful bid to become the Liberal candidate for his riding in 2019, which is also included in the lawsuit.
The Canadian Press has not independently verified the allegations.
Shortly after the allegations about his conversation regarding Kovrig and Spavor were published, Dong resigned from the Liberal caucus to sit as the Independent MP for Don Valley North.
He told the House of Commons he would defend himself against “absolutely untrue claims.” The next day, he voted with opposition parties in favour of a public inquiry into foreign meddling in Canada’s elections.
Rishma Govani, a spokeswoman for Global News and Corus Entertainment, said in an email Thursday night that she was unable to provide further comment, but referred to an earlier statement.
“Global News is governed by a rigorous set of Journalistic Principles and Practices. We are very mindful of the public interest and legal responsibility of this important accountability reporting,” she wrote.
Dong, whose statement of claim has not been tested in court, also wants Global to remove the stories and broadcasts.
The statement of claim, which names several Global News reporters and editors as defendants, alleges the media outlet acted “irresponsibly” in the way it reported and wrote the stories.
“These allegations were made by anonymous sources whose credibility and reliability were assumed, rather than vigorously tested,” said the statement of claim.
It also says that Dong won a “hard-fought race” for the 2019 Liberal nomination and followed all election rules.
The statement claims that Global did not review a transcript or recording of the February 2021 conversation between Dong and Han Tao, the Chinese consul general in Toronto, which is at the heart of the allegations.
It says that while Dong does not have notes from that telephone call, in which he and Tao were both speaking Mandarin, “he is certain that he did not (and would never) advocate for the continued arbitrary detention” of the two Canadians.
“The defendants knew or ought to have known that the call took place in a specific cultural context and in Mandarin,” the statement says. “There was an obvious risk that Canadian intelligence ‘sources’ could have interpretative challenges in this context.”
China’s Toronto consulate has described the allegations reported by Global regarding the February 2021 call as “utterly groundless.”
Dong’s statement of claim says there were three other conversations with Chinese diplomats between 2020 and 2021 in which Dong pushed for their release.
It also said that Dong’s conversations with the Chinese consul general and other diplomats were taking place in the context of helping his constituents, many of whom are Chinese Canadian, or as part of his role as co-chair, along with Quebec Sen. Paul Massicotte, of the Canada-China Legislative Association.
He also said he would sometimes seek guidance from the Global Affairs Department ahead of these conversations and “from time to time” share notes from his calls with the department.
The Prime Minister’s Office has previously said it was unaware of the February 2021 conversation between Dong and Tao until the MP informed the office about it after receiving questions from the media.
The Globe and Mail reported in March, citing an unnamed source, that the PMO had reviewed a transcript of the conversation provided by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and concluded there was “no actionable evidence.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Apr 20, 2023 • 3 minute read
OTTAWA — Toronto MP Han Dong is suing Global News and its parent company, Corus Entertainment, over stories he says portrayed him as a “traitor” and a knowing participant in Chinese interference in Canada.
The statement of claim, provided by his lawyers and filed Thursday with the Ontario Superior Court in Toronto, accuses Global News of publishing “false, malicious, irresponsible, and defamatory” stories that have “destroyed Dong’s hard-earned reputation and career.”
In March, Global published a story citing unidentified security sources who alleged Dong told a Chinese diplomat in February 2021 that releasing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor would benefit the Conservatives.
The two Canadian men at that time had been detained in China since December 2018, just over a week after the RCMP arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on a U.S. extradition warrant.
Global had previously published allegations that Dong benefited from Chinese foreign interference in his successful bid to become the Liberal candidate for his riding in 2019, which is also included in the lawsuit.
The Canadian Press has not independently verified the allegations.
Shortly after the allegations about his conversation regarding Kovrig and Spavor were published, Dong resigned from the Liberal caucus to sit as the Independent MP for Don Valley North.
He told the House of Commons he would defend himself against “absolutely untrue claims.” The next day, he voted with opposition parties in favour of a public inquiry into foreign meddling in Canada’s elections.
Rishma Govani, a spokeswoman for Global News and Corus Entertainment, said in an email Thursday night that she was unable to provide further comment, but referred to an earlier statement.
“Global News is governed by a rigorous set of Journalistic Principles and Practices. We are very mindful of the public interest and legal responsibility of this important accountability reporting,” she wrote.
Dong, whose statement of claim has not been tested in court, also wants Global to remove the stories and broadcasts.
The statement of claim, which names several Global News reporters and editors as defendants, alleges the media outlet acted “irresponsibly” in the way it reported and wrote the stories.
“These allegations were made by anonymous sources whose credibility and reliability were assumed, rather than vigorously tested,” said the statement of claim.
It also says that Dong won a “hard-fought race” for the 2019 Liberal nomination and followed all election rules.
The statement claims that Global did not review a transcript or recording of the February 2021 conversation between Dong and Han Tao, the Chinese consul general in Toronto, which is at the heart of the allegations.
It says that while Dong does not have notes from that telephone call, in which he and Tao were both speaking Mandarin, “he is certain that he did not (and would never) advocate for the continued arbitrary detention” of the two Canadians.
“The defendants knew or ought to have known that the call took place in a specific cultural context and in Mandarin,” the statement says. “There was an obvious risk that Canadian intelligence ‘sources’ could have interpretative challenges in this context.”
China’s Toronto consulate has described the allegations reported by Global regarding the February 2021 call as “utterly groundless.”
Dong’s statement of claim says there were three other conversations with Chinese diplomats between 2020 and 2021 in which Dong pushed for their release.
It also said that Dong’s conversations with the Chinese consul general and other diplomats were taking place in the context of helping his constituents, many of whom are Chinese Canadian, or as part of his role as co-chair, along with Quebec Sen. Paul Massicotte, of the Canada-China Legislative Association.
He also said he would sometimes seek guidance from the Global Affairs Department ahead of these conversations and “from time to time” share notes from his calls with the department.
The Prime Minister’s Office has previously said it was unaware of the February 2021 conversation between Dong and Tao until the MP informed the office about it after receiving questions from the media.
The Globe and Mail reported in March, citing an unnamed source, that the PMO had reviewed a transcript of the conversation provided by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and concluded there was “no actionable evidence.”
MP Han Dong sues Global News for defamation over foreign meddling allegations
Han Dong is suing Global News and Corus Entertainment over stories he says portrayed him as a "traitor" and a knowing participant in Chinese interference in Canada.