Canada summons Chinese ambassador over alleged threats to Conservative MP
By Saba Aziz Global News
Posted May 4, 2023 12:04 pm
Updated May 4, 2023 12:08 pm
Canada is summoning China’s ambassador in Ottawa after alleged threats targeting a Conservative member of Parliament and his family.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly made the announcement while appearing at a parliamentary committee meeting in Ottawa Thursday.
Joly said the federal government is keeping all options open, including expelling diplomats.
This comes after the Globe and Mail reported, citing a top-secret document and an anonymous national security source, that China’s intelligence service sought to target Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family in Hong Kong — and that a Chinese diplomat who remains in Canada was involved.
“What has happened is completely unacceptable. I cannot imagine the shock and concern of learning that your loved ones have been targeted in this way,” Joly said.
“In light of the fact, confirmed by CSIS, I have instructed my deputy minister to summon the Chinese ambassador.
“He will convey to him directly that we will not tolerate any form of foreign interference and that all options, including expulsion of diplomats, remain at the table as we consider the consequences for this behaviour.”
Chong says Ottawa should have informed him about potential threats to his family made by China’s government two years ago.
Chong, a former cabinet minister, currently serves as the Tories’ foreign-affairs critic and routinely criticizes the regime in Beijing for its human-rights record and its alleged attempts to meddle in Canada’s affairs.
In February 2021, he voted in favour of a motion condemning China’s treatment of its Uyghur minority as a genocide. The following month, China sanctioned Chong, barring him from entering the county and prohibiting Chinese citizens from conducting business with him.
— with files from The Canadian Press
Canada summons Chinese ambassador over alleged threats to Conservative MP
