MP Han Dong sues Global News for defamation over foreign interference report – National | 24CA News
Toronto MP Han Dong is suing Global News and its mother or father firm, Corus Entertainment, over tales he says portrayed him as a “traitor” and a realizing participant in Chinese interference in Canada.
The assertion of declare, offered by his legal professionals and filed Thursday with the Ontario Superior Court in Toronto, accuses Global News of publishing “false, malicious, irresponsible, and defamatory” tales which have “destroyed Dong’s hard-earned reputation and career.”
In March, Global revealed a narrative citing unidentified safety sources who alleged Dong informed a Chinese diplomat in February 2021 that releasing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor would profit the Conservatives.
The two Canadian males at the moment had been detained in China since December 2018, simply over per week after the RCMP arrested Huawei govt Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on a U.S. extradition warrant.
Global had beforehand revealed allegations that Dong benefited from Chinese international interference in his profitable bid to change into the Liberal candidate for his using in 2019, which can also be included within the lawsuit.
The Canadian Press has not independently verified the allegations.
Shortly after the allegations about his dialog relating to Kovrig and Spavor had been revealed, Dong resigned from the Liberal caucus to take a seat because the Independent MP for Don Valley North.
He informed the House of Commons he would defend himself in opposition to “absolutely untrue claims.” The subsequent day, he voted with opposition events in favour of a public inquiry into international meddling in Canada’s elections.
Rishma Govani, a spokeswoman for Global News and Corus Entertainment, mentioned in an e-mail Thursday evening that she was unable to offer additional remark, however referred to an earlier assertion.
“Global News is governed by a rigorous set of Journalistic Principles and Practices. We are very mindful of the public interest and legal responsibility of this important accountability reporting,” she wrote.
Dong, whose assertion of declare has not been examined in court docket, additionally needs Global to take away the tales and broadcasts.
The assertion of declare, which names a number of Global News reporters and editors as defendants, alleges the media outlet acted “irresponsibly” in the way in which it reported and wrote the tales.
“These allegations were made by anonymous sources whose credibility and reliability were assumed, rather than vigorously tested,” mentioned the assertion of declare.
It additionally says that Dong gained a “hard-fought race” for the 2019 Liberal nomination and adopted all election guidelines.
The assertion claims that Global didn’t assessment a transcript or recording of the February 2021 dialog between Dong and Han Tao, the Chinese consul normal in Toronto, which is on the coronary heart of the allegations.
It says that whereas Dong doesn’t have notes from that phone name, through which he and Tao had been each talking Mandarin, “he is certain that he did not (and would never) advocate for the continued arbitrary detention” of the 2 Canadians.
“The defendants knew or ought to have known that the call took place in a specific cultural context and in Mandarin,” the assertion says. “There was an obvious risk that Canadian intelligence ‘sources’ could have interpretative challenges in this context.”
China’s Toronto consulate has described the allegations reported by Global relating to the February 2021 name as “utterly groundless.”
Dong’s assertion of declare says there have been three different conversations with Chinese diplomats between 2020 and 2021 through which Dong pushed for his or her launch.
It additionally mentioned that Dong’s conversations with the Chinese consul normal and different diplomats had been happening within the context of serving to his constituents, a lot of whom are Chinese Canadian, or as a part of his function as co-chair, together with Quebec Sen. Paul Massicotte, of the Canada-China Legislative Association.
He additionally mentioned he would generally search steerage from the Global Affairs Department forward of those conversations and “from time to time” share notes from his calls with the division.
The Prime Minister’s Office has beforehand mentioned it was unaware of the February 2021 dialog between Dong and Tao till the MP knowledgeable the workplace about it after receiving questions from the media.
The Globe and Mail reported in March, citing an unnamed supply, that the PMO had reviewed a transcript of the dialog offered by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and concluded there was “no actionable evidence.”
© 2023 The Canadian Press
