LILLEY: Trudeau knew but didn’t act on China’s threats to MP’s family

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The depths of China’s interference in Canada’s democracy became much more apparent Monday. A report in the Globe and Mail detailed how the family members of Conservative MP Michael Chong, living in Hong Kong, were threatened because of a vote Chong took in 2021.

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Chong, the Conservative foreign affairs critic, sponsored a motion in February 2021 calling on the House of Commons to declare China’s actions against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims as a genocide.

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The motion passed 266 in favour and no votes against, but with the Trudeau cabinet and many Liberal MPs abstaining.

According to a report by the Globe, Zhao Wei, a diplomat at China’s consulate in Toronto, was the diplomat who was tasked with working on harassing Chong’s family.

“The government did not inform me that a diplomat was targeting my family, nor did the government take any action to expel the diplomat responsible for orchestrating this intimidation campaign,” Chong said in a statement Monday.

Chong went on to say that after becoming aware of the interference, and the threats against his family, that two actions should have been taken — neither of which happened.

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“First, they should have informed me. Second, they should have declared the diplomat persona non grata,” Chong said.

In his statement, Chong said that he could understand the government not expelling Wei while Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were still in Chinese prisons, but not after they were released two months later. In fact, Wei is still listed as an active diplomat at China’s consulate in Toronto at this moment.

On Monday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre stood to ask why the Trudeau government has not expelled this diplomat despite knowing about the intimidation for two years.

“His government produced a briefing note, which exposed these threats to the MPs family two years ago, and yet the diplomat that worked to punish a Canadian MP’s family is still in Canada when the prime minister could have expelled him. Why didn’t he expel this diplomat?” Poilievre asked.”

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Trudeau’s answer was less than forthcoming with details.

“It is absolutely unacceptable for any Canadian to be subjected to intimidation by a foreign power, particularly threats against family and against families of members of Parliament,” Trudeau said.

The PM went on to say that after reading the report in the Globe, he “immediately asked officials to follow up on these reports.” What Trudeau is asking us to believe is that neither he, nor anyone else in his office, was aware of this until Monday morning.

What is more disturbing?

That Trudeau didn’t know despite CSIS briefing the government two years ago or that he didn’t act until Monday.

Poilievre went on to demand when Canada would get a foreign agents’ registry, something the CSIS report that revealed the intimidation of Chong’s family said would help prevent such actions. The Conservative leader also raised the issue of Chinese police stations operating in Canada, something the Trudeau government said had ended but, according to reports, clearly has not.

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Trudeau tried to claim that the RCMP has been acting on these police stations, but the best they can do is say the RCMP is interfering with their operation rather than shutting them down. In New York City, two men were recently arrested and charged for operating such police stations that attempt to intimidate dissidents in the Chinese immigrant community.

While in the United States they take such intimidation seriously, in Canada, we simply do not, even when the targets are MPs or their families.

Several times, Poilievre asked Trudeau to stand up and announce the actions he would take to protect Canadians and stop China’s interference. Instead of standing to answer, Trudeau sat in his seat, letting his minister give non-answers on what has been done.

We now have proof of China’s interference in Canada’s democracy going well beyond election campaigns. The government should be giving answers; instead, they are looking after their own interests rather than those of the country.