Han Dong did not advocate for two Michaels’ continued detention, Johnston says – National | 24CA News
Former Liberal MP Han Dong spoke concerning the detention of the “two Michaels” with an official from the Chinese authorities however didn’t counsel their imprisonment ought to be prolonged in response to a highly-anticipated report on international interference in Canada.
Former governor basic David Johnston, who advisable towards a public inquiry into international interference Tuesday, confirmed Global News’ March 22 reporting that Dong mentioned Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor’s detention with an official from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a dialog he didn’t beforehand confide in the federal government.
But Johnston, who was appointed as a particular rapporteur on international interference by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, mentioned that the allegation Dong advised the PRC lengthen their detention “is false.”
“The allegation that he did make that suggestion has had a very adverse effect on Mr. Dong. He continued to maintain close relationships with PRC consular officials at least through the 2021 election,” Johnston wrote in his report, launched Tuesday afternoon.
“Ministers and the Prime Minister went out of their way to defend Mr. Dong, whom they believe has been badly harmed by the reporting … They received no recommendations about this allegation, as it is false.”
Global News reported on March 22 that Dong, a former Ontario MPP who now serves as an impartial MP for Don Valley North, “privately advised a senior Chinese diplomat in February 2021 that Beijing should hold off freeing Kovrig and Spavor,” who on the time had been detained on nationwide safety expenses for greater than two years.
Global’s reporting was primarily based on two separate nationwide safety sources, and constructed on earlier reporting of Beijing’s international interference in Canadian political affairs.
Spavor and Kovrig had been detained in what was extensively considered as retaliation for Canadian authorities’ arrest of Huawei govt Meng Wanzhou, who was wished within the U.S. on fraud expenses. The “two Michaels,” as they grew to become identified, had been launched shortly after Meng returned to China.
In an announcement in March, Dong acknowledged that he mentioned their captivity with a member of the Chinese consulate in Toronto, however mentioned he advocated for his or her instant launch. Dong is at present suing Global News over the report.
Global News editor-in-chief Sonia Verma has stood by the outlet’s reporting, saying in a March assertion that “Global News is governed by a rigorous set of journalistic principles and practices, and we are very mindful of the public interest and legal responsibility of this important accountability reporting.”
After reviewing categorized intelligence reviews, Johnston concluded that there have been “irregularities” noticed with Dong’s nomination for the federal Liberals in 2019, and “there is well-grounded suspicion that the irregularities were tied to the PRC consulate in Toronto, with whom Mr. Dong maintains relationships.”
“In reviewing the intelligence, I did not find evidence that Mr. Dong was aware of the irregularities or the PRC Consulate’s potential involvement in his nomination.”
“The Prime Minister was briefed about these irregularities, although no specific recommendation was provided. (Trudeau) concluded there was no basis to displace Mr. Dong as the candidate for Don Valley North.”
At a press convention in Ottawa Tuesday, Johnston was pressed on the allegations Dong had non-public discussions with PRC officers to debate Canadian political issues. Johnston responded by studying from the report, and advised he needed to preserve his public feedback restricted to unclassified supplies.
Asked about the specter of Chinese interference usually, and the Liberal authorities’s obvious reluctance to debate it publicly, Johnston mentioned he doesn’t suppose “there was any conscious desire to suppress and to diminish this.”
“I think it was clear that we (the government) have not acted as quickly and as thoroughly … (to) a threat that has been growing,” Johnston mentioned.
With a file from the Canadian Press.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
