Han Dong, the federal MP at the center of allegations of Chinese interference in Canadian affairs, left the Liberal caucus on Wednesday evening and will now sit as an independent MP for the Ontario riding of Don Valley North.
“I am taking this extraordinary step because serving in the government caucus is a privilege,” Mr. Dong said in the House of Commons on Wednesday evening. My presence there is perhaps badly perceived by some while an independent investigation is looking into this affair. »
Mr. Han Dong is said to have privately advised a senior Chinese diplomat to delay the release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, according to revelations from Global News.
Both Michaels spent more than a thousand days behind bars in China before being released in 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 under a United States extradition warrant.
Global News reported that Mr. Dong told the Chinese consul general that releasing the two men would benefit opposition conservatives, but also that showing some “progress” in the case would help the liberals.
In a speech to the House of Commons on Wednesday evening, MK Han Dong claimed that what is claimed in the report is untrue.
The Canadian Press could not independently verify the allegations.
Han Dong, MP for Don Valley North since 2019, told Global News that he had met with China’s consul general but took issue with how the conversation about the men known as “two Michaels was characterized.
“Let me be clear, what has been reported is false and I will defend myself against these absolutely false claims,” he told the House of Commons, visibly shaken.
“Let me assure you, as a parliamentarian and as a person, that I have never advocated or supported the violation of the basic human rights of any Canadian or anyone,” said he asserted.
In his speech, which ended in tears, Mr. Dong also addressed MM. Kovrig and Spavor and their families.
“I did nothing to hurt them,” he said. Like all MPs, I worked hard and defended their interests as a parliamentarian. »
The Prime Minister’s Office was not immediately available for comment.
A spokeswoman for Justin Trudeau told Global News that the Prime Minister’s Office was unaware of the February 2021 conversation until Mr. Dong informed the office after receiving questions from the media.