OTTAWA—Former Liberal MP Han Dong said he will run in his north Toronto riding again and hopes to do so under the Liberal banner.
Dong resigned from the Liberal caucus in March 2023, after a Global News report suggested he had spoken to China’s consul general during the 2021 election and advocated that China keep Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in custody. Dong, who represents Don Valley North (DVN), vehemently denied the claim and has filed a defamation suit against Global News.
On Tuesday, Justice Marie-Josée Hogue released her report into foreign interference in Canada and said the information she reviewed support’s Dong’s version of events.
“I can say the classified information available to me corroborates Mr. Dong’s denial of the allegation that he suggested the PRC (People’s Republic of China) should hold off releasing the Two Michaels. He did not suggest that the PRC extend their detention,” she wrote.
Dong has admitted to having conversations with the consul general, but said he always advocated for the release of Spavor and Kovrig.
Spavor and Kovrig were freed in September 2021 after being held for more than 1,000 days in what was broadly seen as retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Meng Wanzhou. Meng, a senior Huaweii executive, was arrested on a U.S. extradition request.
Dong welcomed Hogue’s report and said he has been supported by his community.
“I was voted in twice by the electors in Don Valley North and in the last two years a lot of them embraced me with their support,” he said in an interview with the Star. “I think I owe them at least an opportunity to choose who they want, so that’s why I will be putting my name on the ballot.”
Dong said he will run whether or not the Liberal party allows him to be the party’s candidate, but he hopes to run under the party’s banner.
“I have spent 25, 30 years building the party, volunteering for the party, organizing for the party. Of course, I consider myself a Liberal still,” he said.
The party has not named a candidate in the riding.
Dong also faced scrutiny over his nomination to be the Liberal candidate in 2019, with reports that Chinese diplomats had interfered in the contest.
In her report, Hogue said there was intelligence that Chinese officials had arranged for buses to transport Chinese international students to the nomination contest and threatened those students with the loss of their visas if they didn’t vote for Dong.
Hogue confirmed that intelligence existed, but said she was unable to come to a full conclusion about the events.
“The government has intelligence holdings indicating irregularities in the DVN nomination contest that may have included activities undertaken by individuals close to People’s Republic of China,” she wrote. “It is not the mandate of this commission to determine what actually took place at the DVN nomination meeting in 2019, and I would not be able to do so on the record before me in any event.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was informed about the allegations around the nomination during the 2019 election and opted to keep Dong on as a candidate.
According to Hogue, Trudeau balanced the weight of the evidence against the implications of accusing someone.
“In his in-camera testimony before me, Mr. Trudeau noted that not approving Mr. Dong’s endorsement would have had direct electoral consequences as the Liberal party expected to win DVN. It would also have had a devastating impact on Mr. Dong personally.”
Hogue did conclude that nomination contests are potentially open to foreign interference and encouraged political parties to tighten their rules and processes.
