The sources said Dong allegedly suggested to China’s consul general in Toronto, that if Beijing released the Two Michaels, the Opposition Conservatives would benefit.
Liberal MP Han Dong, who is at the centre of Chinese influence allegations, privately advised a senior Chinese diplomat in February 2021 that Beijing should hold off freeing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, according to two separate national security sources.
Dong, who represents the Toronto-area riding of Don Valley North, was the one to initiate the discussion with the consul general, the two sources said, adding that Dong stipulated at the outset that it was both a personal and a work-related conversation.In an emailed statement to Global News sent Tuesday, Dong confirmed that he had a discussion with Consul General Han, but disputed that he initiated it and also denies that he advised Beijing to delay releasing Kovrig and Spavor from prison.
At the time of the conversation between Dong and the Chinese diplomat, Canadians were outraged that Spavor and Kovrig were held captive in secret Chinese prisons without due legal process and denied basic rights such as consular access. Last June, O’Toole said Beijing’s meddling was to blame for the loss of up to nine Conservative candidates in the 2021 federal election.Government officials, however, have maintained that interference did not impact the overall integrity of the contest.
When the February 2021 conversation occurred between Dong and Consul General Han, CSIS reporting had already classified Dong as a “close friend of the Consulate based on his history of calls,” the national security official said.the two sources said Dong and Consul General Han allegedly spoke at length about China’s problematic reputation in Canada, as well as discussing perceptions of human rights accusations against Beijing.
It remains unclear whether or not CSIS has ever conveyed them to the Prime Minister’s Office or anyone else in the federal government.When asked to comment on the information provided by sources on the alleged Dong communications, CSIS spokesperson Eric Balsam wrote in a statement that the service could neither confirm nor deny the authenticity of the information.
As Global News reported last month, Dong was already the subject of a CSIS probe started in the summer of 2019, three sources said, because the service believed a “subtle but effective” election-interference network directed by the Toronto Chinese Consulate had clandestinely supported Dong’s 2019 candidacy.
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