Liberal candidate apologizes for suggesting people claim China's bounty on Conservative

Darren Major · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 28, 2025 7:06 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

A Liberal campaigner moving for re-election successful a battleground GTA riding is apologizing aft suggesting radical effort to assertion a Chinese bounty connected a section 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 — presently moving for the Conservatives successful the Toronto riding of Don Valley North. 

"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 as the Hong Kong authorities targeting vocal critics based abroad. At the time, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly denounced the bounties.

"This effort by Hong Kong authorities to behaviour transnational repression abroad, including by issuing threats, intimidation oregon coercion against Canadians oregon those successful Canada, volition not beryllium tolerated," she said successful a connection successful December.

Cheuk Kwan, co-chair of the TADC, called Chiang's comments "shocking."

"Mr. Chiang openly encouraged radical to assistance successful China interference and transnational repression," Kwan said successful a statement. "Rather than protecting Canadians, helium betrayed them and jeopardized their safety."

Conservatives telephone connected Liberals to driblet Chiang

Tay couldn't beryllium reached for comment. But helium reposted a societal media connection from chap Conservative Michael Chong, who called Chiang's comments "outrageous."

"This look of enactment for the [Chinese government's] amerciable and unjust bounty connected a Canadian national is disturbing, peculiarly to the countless Canadians of Chinese descent who person been targeted and harassed by the communist regime," Chong wrote connected X.

Chong called connected the Liberals to revoke Chiang's candidacy.

CBC News reached retired to the Liberal run for remark but has yet to person a response.