Carney Speaks Out on Candidate’s Resignation Following Suggestion to Accept Chinese Bounty on Tory Opponent
Liberal Leader Mark Carney announced that his party will be seeking another candidate in the Markham-Unionville riding in Toronto after Liberal candidate Paul Chiang decided to withdraw.
Chiang faced criticism for his remarks in January, suggesting that people should turn in his opponent, Tory candidate Joe Tay, to a nearby Chinese consulate to claim the bounty on him offered by Hong Kong authorities.
On March 31, Chiang officially stepped down, and the RCMP started looking into his comments. Despite calls to remove Chiang from the ballot, Carney initially stood by him, citing a “terrible lapse of judgment,” but eventually accepted his resignation.
During an event in Winnipeg on April 1, Carney stated, “Mr. Chang made his resignation, offered his resignation last night. I accepted it. As I said yesterday, his comments were deeply, deeply troubling and regrettable. We will move on with looking for a new candidate for Markham, and I’ll leave it at that.”
Chiang’s controversial comments about Joe Tay were originally made to Chinese-language media Ming Pao in January and resurfaced recently by the Toronto Association for Democracy in China.
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“To everyone here, you can claim the $1 million dollar bounty if you bring him to Toronto’s Chinese Consulate,” Chiang reportedly said about Tay at the event. Chiang did not deny having said those words and apologized after they surfaced.
Chiang, a former policeman, was elected in 2021 in Markham-Unionville and had served in various roles within the government. Tay, his former opponent, is now running in a different riding.
Tay, known for his activism, was targeted by the Chinese regime along with other democracy advocates. Canadian journalist Victor Ho has also faced similar threats due to his work.
Tay expressed concerns for his safety and emphasized the interference of the Chinese Communist Party in Canadian affairs.
