MP Han Dong questioned on 2019 nomination "irregularities" and Chinese high school voters
CSIS Intelligence on Han Dong's alleged 2021 phone call to Chinese Consul General in Toronto regarding "Two Michaels" also examined
Ottawa’s Foreign Interference Commission has heard that MP Han Dong changed his “anticipated evidence” to acknowledge that a bus filled with high school students from Mainland China was organized to vote for his 2019 nomination in Toronto’s Don Valley North riding.
Dong was examined by the Commission on alleged irregularities with his 2019 campaign involving seniors and students and People’s Republic proxies, and also a report that Dong had privately called China’s Consul General in early 2021 to provide advice on the cases of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
Dong was asked Tuesday why he didn’t inform the Commission’s legal team about students being bussed into Dong’s nomination during his first interview with the Commission six weeks ago.
Dong said conversations with his wife, who was his campaign assistant, helped him recall he had visited a group of “private” high school students to ask them to volunteer with his campaign and sign up as Liberal Party members.
And it was these students from New Oriental International College in Markham, which is outside of Dong’s Toronto riding, that were bussed to his nomination, the inquiry heard.
“Do you know who arranged or paid for the bus?” Dong was asked.
“I don’t,” Dong said.
“Why didn’t you tell the Commission about this earlier?” counsel pressed.
“When we interviewed you about six weeks ago, you recall we discussed international students volunteering in your campaign and bussing as well?”
“I was reminded after the interview,” Dong answered.
Dong was also read statements from an unclassified document which said Canadian intelligence indicated "there were irregularities in the nomination that may have included activities undertaken by individuals close to PRC officials,” and that "intelligence reporting indicated that buses were used to bring international students to the nomination process, in support of Han Dong."
Next, Commission counsel read Dong this specific statement: “Some intelligence reporting also indicated that the students were provided with falsified documents to allow them to vote, despite not being residents of Don Valley North. The documents were provided by individuals associated with a known proxy agent.”
“Do you have any knowledge of the information in this bullet point?” a Commission lawyer asked Dong.
“I don’t,” he replied.
The intelligence document tabled during Dong’s questioning also said “intelligence reported after the election indicated that veiled threats were issued by the PRC Consulate to the Chinese international students, implying their student visas would be in jeopardy and that there could be consequences for their families back in the PRC if they did not support Han Dong.”
After Dong was examined, his 2019 campaign manager Ted Lojko told the inquiry the allegation “makes no sense” because Lojko couldn’t see how Chinese officials could access Dong’s list of nomination supporters.
“We don’t intimidate people,” Lojko said.
The Two Michaels call
Dong was also provided an unclassified summary of intelligence regarding his telephone call with China’s Consul General Han Tao in early 2021 on the related cases of Meng Wanzhou and Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
The intelligence came mostly from CSIS, documents tabled in the inquiry said, with input from Ottawa’s Privy Council Office, RCMP, Global Affairs Canada, Canada’s signals intelligence agency CSE, and other departments.
"MP Dong's reference to the detention of the "Two Michaels" came in the context of MP Dong noting the difficulty of getting people to change perspectives," the document read to Dong by a Commission lawyer said. "MP Dong expressed the view that even if the PRC released the "Two Michaels" at that moment, opposition parties would view the PRC's action as an affirmation of the effectiveness of a hardline approach to the PRC."
Dong was asked if he remembered making such a statement.
“Actually, I don’t remember, it doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Dong said. “I’m a little confused by the information here. The logic here, kind of doesn’t add up for me.”
The intelligence summary also stated that "MP Dong also noted that a Canadian hardline approach to the PRC would be detrimental to Sino-Canadian relations."
Asked if he made the statement, Dong responded “It’s possible. But I don’t recall saying that exactly.”
“I’ve always advocated for their early release,” Dong told his counsel later, regarding his comments on the cases of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
Campaigns not warned of PRC threats in 2021
Earlier Tuesday the inquiry recieved documents that indicated during the run-up to the 2021 federal election, Ottawa produced internal documents predicting "The People's Republic of China will be the primary threat actor in an upcoming federal election.”
But these briefings were not provided to the Conservative, Liberal and NDP campaigns.
Conservative campaign co-chair Walied Soliman told the inquiry his team believed that some ridings were being targeted with misinformation and communities were being encouraged not to vote Conservative.
But Ottawa’s election threat monitoring “task-force” told him they weren’t aware of these election threats, Soliman said.
And yet the so-called SITE election threats team had also produced an internal report warning some MPs could be targeted in the 2021 contest while “the PRC may interfere in specific ridings to either support those viewed to be 'pro-PRC', or oppose those viewed to be 'anti-PRC,’” the inquiry heard.
The inquiry is expected to hear Wednesday from Kenny Chiu, one of the Conservative MPs targeted in Chinese-state controlled social media according to a CSIS document and sources previously cited by The Bureau.
(Editor’s Note. The Bureau’s founder Sam Cooper has previously reported on stories regarding intelligence allegations and MP Han Dong at Global News. Dong has sued regarding prior stories and denies any wrongdoing.)
"I don't remember" and "I was reminded"... For someone whose parliamentary duty necessarily involves a lot of talking and speaking on the record, MP Dong's memory sure is faulty.
I really like “The logic here, kind of doesn’t add up for me.” Not a logical issue, actually. The facts stacked up one upon the other look like a mountain.