OTTAWA – Han Dong, the member of Parliament at the centre of allegations of Chinese meddling in Canadian affairs, says he is resigning from the Liberal caucus and will sit as an Independent.
Dong tells the House of Commons tonight that some media outlets have reported unverified and anonymous sources that have attacked his reputation and called into question his loyalty to Canada.
Global News, citing unnamed security sources, published a report tonight alleging that Dong spoke about Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig with a Chinese diplomat in Toronto in February 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 on a U.S. extradition warrant.
Dong, the MP for Don Valley North since 2019, told Global News that he did meet with the diplomat but disputed how the conversation about the men known as the “two Michaels” was characterized.
He tells the House of Commons the reports are false, that he will defend himself and that he would never advocate or support the violation of the basic human rights of any Canadian.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2023
