China will be emboldened to target more Canadians if diplomat not expelled: Chong – National

Conservative MP Michael Chong says he was “shaken” to learn about the alleged Chinese campaign targeting him and his family in Hong Kong, and says not taking decisive action will only embolden Beijing to threaten other Canadians.

That action should include expelling the Chinese diplomat in Toronto who was allegedly involved in the plot, Chong told Eric Sorensen in an interview that aired Sunday on The West Block.

“I think the fact they haven’t (acted) emboldens the (People’s Republic of China) to conduct even more of these activities on Canadians,” he said. “So I think they need to send a clear message and expel this diplomat.”

The Globe and Mail reported on Monday that Beijing’s intelligence service allegedly sought to target Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong, citing a top-secret document and an anonymous national security source. The Globe also reported a Chinese diplomat who remains in Canada was allegedly involved.

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Chong said the top-secret intelligence assessment from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) cited by the Globe and Mail report outlined the alleged threats against him and his family.

“We know first, from the July 2021 assessment, that an officer in the Ministry of State Security in the PRC was gathering information to target my family in the PRC in order to target me on the floor of the House of Commons and put pressure on me to change my position on democracy and human rights,” Chong said.

“We also know that other MPs were being targeted. We don’t know who they are by the Ministry of State Security in the PRC.

“The second thing we know is that a PRC diplomat accredited by the Government of Canada in Toronto, Mr. Wei Jo, was working also to gather information about my family in order to put pressure on me. So those are the two facts we know.”

Chong says he wasn’t surprised that China was targeting his family in Hong Kong, with whom he cut off contact years ago “out of an abundance of caution.” Such campaigns have been waged against members of the Chinese diaspora in Canada and their families back in…