O’Toole considers expulsion of Conservative Senator due to foreign influence concerns
Former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole informed the Foreign Interference Commission on Sept. 18 that he was contemplating removing a senator from his party’s caucus due to concerns about potential foreign influence.
While testifying before the Foreign Interference Commission on the same date, O’Toole disclosed that a local mayor had informed one of his MPs about a Conservative senator advocating for a Chinese company in Ontario. O’Toole expressed significant worries about the situation, especially since the senator had received significant sponsored travel to China.
“It was wholly inappropriate for a Senate member to advocate for a commercial interest linked to a foreign entity in a Canadian riding,” O’Toole told the commission without disclosing the senator’s identity.
“Given the intense discussions at that time regarding the relationship with China, the cases of the two Michaels, the situation of the Uyghur people, and Hong Kong, I was deeply troubled by this member’s actions.”
O’Toole mentioned that he was exploring the possibility of removing the senator from the caucus but did not have intelligence services’ backing to validate the allegations.
“Some of my caucus members expressed concerns that if I rushed to remove a member, I could be accused of racism or denying someone the right to respond. So, I was in a dilemma on how to handle the situation,” he explained.
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During a cross-examination session at the commission hearing, Neil Chantler, counsel for the advocacy group Chinese Canadian Concern Group, emphasized how pro-Beijing groups tend to label legitimate efforts against them as racist.
Chantler pointed out, “Nobody wants to be accused of racism. It’s a very effective defense against our legitimate efforts to counteract foreign interference.”
When questioned about reporting the concerns about the senator to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, O’Toole mentioned the lack of communication channels between opposition leaders and intelligence services, stating they never briefed him on the matter.
Party Vulnerabilities
During his testimony, O’Toole highlighted how political parties are susceptible to foreign interference, especially during nominations in safe seats.
“Parties should be aware of any manipulation or interference before someone takes their oath in the House of Commons,” he commented.
Expressing concern about Liberal Party vulnerabilities, O’Toole noted, “There is no membership fee to join the Liberal Party. If you provide an email address, you’re in.”
He raised apprehensions about the potential for non-citizens or visiting students to influence nomination contests if organizers or diaspora figures collected emails for such purposes.
The inquiry had previously addressed similar concerns in a traditional Liberal stronghold. An intelligence summary presented to the commission in April highlighted irregularities during the 2019 Liberal Party nomination race in Ontario’s Don Valley North riding.
The document referred to international students, some with falsified documents, being brought in by bus to the nomination meeting and receiving threats from the Chinese Consulate regarding their student visa status unless they supported the candidacy of Han Dong.
Dong admitted to being aware of the bus bringing in international students for the 2019 Liberal nomination meeting, as mentioned by commission counsel during the foreign interference inquiry.
Dong resigned from the Liberal caucus and became an Independent after a Global News report on his dealings with the Chinese Consulate. While denying any wrongdoing, he filed a lawsuit against the media outlet and did not respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment.
