Independent MP Han Dong won't seek re-election in suburban Toronto riding

Independent MP Han Dong said Sunday greeting helium volition not question re-election successful Don Valley North — a determination that comes 1 time aft the Liberals announced they're moving a campaigner successful the suburban Toronto riding.

"After speaking with my family, squad and supporters, I person decided not to enactment successful this predetermination to springiness [the Liberal Party of Canada] the champion accidental to signifier a authorities and support america from the threats posed by Donald Trump," Dong said successful a connection posted to societal media.

Dong near the Liberal caucus successful March 2023 to beryllium arsenic an Independent.

He said helium was inactive looking to wide his sanction aft Global News published a study that cited unidentified sources suggesting Dong privately advised a elder Chinese diplomat to clasp disconnected connected freeing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, 2 Canadians who astatine the clip were detained successful China.

He has denied the allegations against him and filed a suit against Global, its genitor institution Corus and respective journalists conscionable weeks aft the communicative ran.

In his statement, Dong said helium is "disappointed not to beryllium portion of this important campaign" and that helium continues his combat successful court.

"It has been a privilege to service the residents of DVN and a humbling acquisition to enactment with and larn from truthful galore hardworking leaders, volunteers of assemblage organizations and nationalist institutions," Dong said.

In June 2024, an Ontario Superior Court justice recovered nary documented grounds to enactment allegations made against Dong successful the Global News articles.

The justice made the comments arsenic helium rejected an exertion from Corus Entertainment to propulsion retired Dong's suit against the quality service, saying it is successful the nationalist involvement to perceive the case.

"The substance of Mr. Dong's communications with the Chinese are worthy of the state of look of an unfastened tribunal system," Justice Paul Perell said successful his judgment.

Perell recovered the newsman who wrote the communicative did not spot a transcript of the speech derived from the confidential sources astir the speech betwixt Dong and the diplomat, and did not support each of the notes that were utilized arsenic portion of the reporting process.

The ruling said the notes the newsman did keep, based connected conversations with sources, bash not incorporate immoderate notation to Dong advising a Chinese diplomat to "delay" oregon "hold off" connected releasing the 2 men.

In her last study connected overseas interference released earlier this year, Justice Marie-Josée Hogue wrote that she recovered no evidence of "traitors" successful Parliament.

In their information notice, the Liberal Party announced Maggie Chi volition tally for the enactment successful Don Valley North. Chi antecedently ran for the Ontario Liberal information for Scarborough North successful 2022.

GTA Liberal campaigner nether fire

Meanwhile, a Liberal campaigner moving for re-election successful a battleground Greater Toronto Area riding is apologizing aft suggesting radical effort to assertion a Chinese bounty connected the Don Valley North Conservative candidate.

Paul Chiang — the Liberal campaigner for Markham-Unionville — suggested during a section Chinese-language media quality league successful January that radical should assertion the bounty connected Joe Tay.

"To everyone here, you tin assertion the one-million-dollar bounty if you bring him to Toronto's Chinese consulate," Chiang said, according to the Toronto Association for Democracy successful China (TADC).

Chiang hasn't denied making the comments and issued an apology successful a societal media station Friday.

"The comments I made were deplorable and a implicit lapse of judgement connected the seriousness of the matter," Chiang, a erstwhile constabulary officer, wrote connected X.

"I sincerely apologize and profoundly regret my comments."

In December, Hong Kong constabulary enactment retired a bounty and apprehension warrant for Tay — worthy $1 cardinal HK, astir $184,000 — and different China ideology advocates. Tay is simply a co-founder of Canada-based NGO HongKonger Station.

The warrants are mostly seen arsenic the Hong Kong authorities targeting vocal critics based abroad. At the time, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly denounced the bounties.

Conservatives person called connected the Liberals to driblet Chiang.

A spokesperson for the Liberal run told CBC News connected Saturday evening that Chiang "apologized and has been wide that helium volition basal enarthrosis to enarthrosis with the radical of Hong Kong arsenic they combat to safeguard their quality rights and freedoms."