Calls for a public, independent investigation into allegations of Chinese interference in federal politics were renewed Wednesday after new revelations that a Liberal MP had recommended Beijing release the two Michaels, Canadians imprisoned in China for nearly three years. to postpone.

These claims, which could not be independently verified by Radio-Canada, were revealed on Wednesday by Global News.

Accordingly In totalHan Dong reportedly told the Chinese Consul General in Toronto, Han Tao, that China would have to wait before releasing two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. The latter were arrested in December 2018, a few days after Huawei’s finance director Meng Wanzhou was herself arrested in Canada at the request of American authorities.

According to this report, Mr. Dong had a conversation with Han Tao in February 2021. He reportedly claimed that the release of the two Michaels could benefit the Conservative Party of Canada, whose then-leader Erin O’Toole was pushing the government to take a tougher stance on China.

Due to these allegations, the main party of interest decided to withdraw from the Liberal caucus so as not to interrupt the work of the government while waiting for the evidence [son innocence] and present the truth to Parliament and the Canadian peoplehe said in the House of Representatives on Wednesday evening.

The two Michaels were eventually released in September 2021, while Ms. Wanzhou returned to China after the Supreme Court of British Columbia upheld an agreement between the Huawei executive and the American judicial system.

These are extremely serious allegationsNew Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh responded on Twitter. If this is true, the safety of Canadians has been compromised for political reasons. The Prime Minister [Justin] Trudeau must remove Han Dong from the caucus and these allegations must be fully investigated.

There must be a public inquiryhe wrote again.

For his part, the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada described these allegations as seriousand claims that she threaten the heart of Canadian democracy.

No more secrecy, no more camouflage. We need an open, public and independent inquiry now, tweeted Pierre Poilievre. The same applies to the Bloc Québécois.

Only a public inquiry will do the trick. PointFor his part, tweeted conservative Senator Leo Housakos, who introduced a private member’s bill in the Senate a year ago aimed at establishing a law Register of Foreign Agents of Influence.

Han Dong denies the allegations

This is not the first time that Mr. Dong has faced such allegations. End of February, Global News had reported that the Liberal elected official was endorsed by the Chinese consulate when he ran for the Liberal nomination in the Don Valley North district of the Toronto region in the 2019 election.

According to Global it is CSIS Justin Trudeau reportedly asked senior Liberal Party officials to withdraw Mr. Dong’s nomination, but Justin Trudeau reportedly approved his candidacy anyway. The MP was subsequently re-elected in 2021.

The Liberal elected official denied the allegations Global Newsbut admitted to communicating with the Chinese consul to request this immediate dismissal of the two Canadian citizens.

At every opportunity […]I categorically demanded their immediate release. Any claim to the contrary is false and is an attempt to mislead you and your readers and to defame meMr. Dong wrote in an email to Global.

In Beijing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman denied allegations of interference in Canadian affairs. “China rejects interference in other countries’ internal affairs. We have no interest and will not interfere in Canada’s internal affairs,” Wang Wenbin emphasized.

Opposition parties have been calling for the launch of a public and independent investigation into China’s alleged interference in Canada’s electoral process for several weeks.

On March 15, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed former Canadian Governor General David Johnston as an independent special rapporteur. In particular, he is responsible for deciding whether or not an investigative commission should be set up to examine these allegations.

However, the appointment divides the opposition parties, with the leaders of the Conservative Party of Canada, Pierre Poilievre, and the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, accusing Mr. Johnston of closeness to Mr. Trudeau.

With information from The Canadian Press