(OTTAWA) Conservative MP Michael Chong says the federal government should have informed him two years ago of the threats Beijing allegedly posed to him in Canada and to his family in Hong Kong.
The MP issued a statement on Monday in response to an article by the Globe and Mail, which cites a top-secret document and an unnamed national security source. The daily writes that the Chinese intelligence services were seeking to target the MP and his family, and that a Chinese diplomat, who would still be stationed in Canada, was involved in these threats.
Mr. Chong, a former cabinet minister under Stephen Harper, is currently the Conservative foreign affairs critic. He regularly criticizes the Beijing regime for its human rights record and alleged attempts to interfere in Canadian affairs.
In February 2021, the MP had voted in favor of a motion condemning China’s treatment of its Uyghur minority – treatment that has been described as genocide.
The following month, Beijing sanctioned Mr. Chong, barring him from entering China and banning Chinese citizens from doing business with him.
Mr. Chong wrote in a statement on Monday that, like many other Canadians, he has family in Hong Kong – and that any effort to threaten them in an effort to intimidate or coerce people in Canada is a “serious national threat”.
This threat “undermines social cohesion, as well as the fundamental rights and freedoms that are dear to us”, writes Mr. Chong.
The Ontario MP maintains that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) never informed him of the threats to him and his family. In light of the information reported by the Worldhe concludes “that the Prime Minister’s Office did not authorize CSIS” to inform him of this specific threat.
“The fact that the Trudeau government continues to accredit and allow a diplomat from the People’s Republic of China to stay in Canada to attack my family abroad shows a complete lack of leadership and decency. writes Mr. Chong.
Trudeau’s office and CSIS did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and The Canadian Press did not independently verify the allegations published in the Globe and Mail.
Prime Minister Trudeau, who was pressed for questions in the House on Monday afternoon, said the situation was “absolutely unacceptable”. He assured MPs that he had asked officials to follow up on information from the Globe and Mail.
“It’s absolutely unacceptable and it shouldn’t have happened,” Trudeau said.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has urged the Prime Minister to expel the Chinese diplomat in question. He also accused the government of failing to take appropriate action, including warning Mr. Chong of threats to him and his family in Hong Kong.
Poilievre also said the alleged threats again show the importance for Canada to create a registry of foreign agents as soon as possible that would track those paid to act on behalf of foreign countries in Canada.
The government launched public consultations on the idea of such a register in March, and they are expected to wrap up next week.