A human rights group has withdrawn from the public inquiry into foreign interference in protest of Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue’s decision to allow politicians accused of links to the Chinese regime to question witnesses.
On Jan. 31, the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project announced its decision to back out of the ongoing public inquiry aimed at investigating foreign interference in Canada’s 2019 and 2021 federal elections.
“URAP has conveyed its disappointment regarding Commissioner Hogue’s decision to grant full standing to MP Han Dong (a former Liberal MP) and Markham’s deputy mayor Michael Chan, along with intervener status to Senator Yuen Pau Woo,” the organization said in a statement posted on the social media platform X.
“These statuses provide access to highly confidential information, potentially jeopardizing our community and others, and allowing them to cross-examine witnesses.”
URAP previously formed a coalition with seven other human rights advocacy groups, representing ethnic and religious communities targeted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), in the public inquiry. The coalition had
urged the Ms. Hogue to reconsider her decision to include the three politicians in the inquiry. They asked that their participation be limited to the scope of the allegations against them and that they be restricted in their ability to question witnesses.
In a
Dec. 22, 2023 decision, Ms. Hogue acknowledged the groups’ claim that certain individuals expressed “concerns about being questioned by Mr. Dong and Mr. Chan,” but maintained her decision. This prompted URAP to threaten withdrawal ahead of the hearings that commenced on Jan. 29.
“URAP refuses to participate in a process meant to address and reconcile foreign interference–that uplifts individuals complicit in and benefiting from foreign interference themselves,” the organization reiterated its position in the latest statement.
“The Commission’s protection of questionable national actors and its simultaneous failure to safeguard victims of transnational repression reveal systemic dysfunctionality in its process.”
In addition to withdrawing from the inquiry, URAP’s executive director, Mehmet Tohti, also called for the resignation of the three politicians from their positions.
“Additionally, we call on MP Han Dong, Mr. Chan, and Sen. Yuen Pau Woo to resign from their posts and renounce their statuses in the public inquiry,” Mr. Tohti worte in on
the platform X on Jan. 31.
Allegations
Mr. Dong resigned from the Liberal caucus to sit as an Independent MP in March 2023 after a Global News report, citing anonymous national security sources, accused him of inappropriate ties to the Chinese consulate in Toronto. Mr. Dong had rejected the allegations and started legal proceedings against Global News in April.
Mr. Chan is also facing
allegations of engaging in improper activities related to the 2019 and 2021 general elections. In February 2023, a
Globe and Mail report, citing national security sources, said Canadian intelligence personnel had warned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and senior aides about Mr. Chan’s alleged association with Chinese diplomat
Zhao Wei. Mr. Zhao was
expelled from Canada last May over allegations that he was involved in targeting Conservative MP
Michael Chong for criticizing Beijing’s treatment of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China. Mr. Chan has denied any ties to the Chinese official.
Mr. Dong and Mr. Chan didn’t respond to various requests for comment from The Epoch Times.
Mr. Woo, who has
sparked concerns among the Chinese diaspora for remarks and actions deemed favourable to Beijing, has also rejected the allegations against him. “The fact that Human Rights groups can assert publicly that I have links to the CCP without any evidence underscores the risk that foreign interference claims can lead to a witch hunt and exposes the fundamentally illiberal and censorious attitudes of these groups,” he said in an email statement to The Epoch Times on Jan. 30.
Mr. Woo previously confirmed to The Epoch Times that he had assisted in
drafting a citizen petition against creation of a foreign agent registry in Canada. The
petition was initiated last April despite public calls for establishing the registry to enhance transparency related to activities of individuals in the country working on behalf of foreign entities.
He also led a protest on Parliament Hill this past June that, while advertised as opposing anti-Chinese racism,
encouraged some Chinese communities to oppose the registry. On Dec. 1, Mr. Woo
attended a press conference expressing support for two Quebec organizations threatening to sue the RCMP. These organizations are currently under police investigation for allegedly operating as secret Chinese police stations.
Citing the warning from Canadian intelligence body, URAP highlighted substantiated allegations against the accused politicians.
“There are strong, credible allegations against these three individuals for their association with the Chinese Communist Party and its interference into Canadian politics,” the URAP stated in the recent statement. “The Canadian Security Intelligence Service has substantiated the claims against MP Dong and Mr. Chan.”
“These allegations pose a significant security risk to Canada, and specifically to diaspora communities affected by transnational repression that are participating in the inquiry.
