Liberal Party Member Who Allegedly Warned Han Dong of CSIS Surveillance Must Be Identified: Tory MP

Tory MP calls for identification of Liberal Party member who allegedly warned Han Dong of CSIS surveillance

April 10, 2024 TruthUSA

A Conservative MP is urging the Liberal government to reveal the party member who reportedly tipped off Han Dong about being surveilled by Canada’s intelligence agency.

Tory MP Michael Cooper is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to address a Globe and Mail article that, citing an anonymous senior national security official, claimed Mr. Dong was warned about the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) keeping an eye on him.

The warning allegedly came after CSIS informed the Liberal Party in September 2019 that the Chinese government was purportedly interfering in the nomination process for the Don Valley North riding.

“The Globe reports that a senior Liberal violated the law and jeopardized national security by leaking highly classified information to alert Han Dong about being monitored by CSIS,” Conservative MP Michael Cooper stated on platform X. “Justin Trudeau must disclose the identity of that high-ranking Liberal.”

Mr. Dong has not responded to inquiries from The Epoch Times.

Liberal Party director Azam Ishmael, who received the CSIS briefing, told the Globe that “I have never discussed classified information with individuals who did not have the necessary security clearance to access the information.”

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A CSIS intelligence summary released to the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference indicates “irregularities in the nomination that may have included activities undertaken by individuals close to PRC [People’s Republic of China] Officials.”

The summary mentions that international Chinese students were transported to vote for Mr. Dong, while some students were provided with false documents to vote because they weren’t residents of the riding.

CSIS also reports that the Chinese consulate made “veiled threats” to students that they could lose their student visas or face consequences for their families in the PRC if they didn’t vote for Mr. Dong.

Mr. Trudeau was briefed by his adviser about the irregularities following the CSIS briefing to the Liberal Party, but he decided to proceed with Mr. Dong, who later won the seat in the House of Commons in 2019. Mr. Dong resigned from the Liberal Party in March 2023 to sit as an Independent MP after several articles from Global News were published.

The news agency published articles based on national security leaks accusing Mr. Dong of advising the Chinese consul general in Toronto on the detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. Mr. Dong has refuted the allegations and filed a defamation lawsuit against Global News. He expressed his desire to rejoin the Liberal Party.

During the inquiry, Mr. Dong was asked whether he believed there was Chinese interference in Canadian elections, to which he replied, “I see reports about that. I currently don’t see any evidence.”

Janice Charette, former clerk of the Privy Council and member of the 2021 Critical Election Incident Public Protocol panel, stated during the inquiry that the issues surrounding the Don Valley North nomination were not believed to meet the threshold to inform the Canadian public.

Nathalie Drouin, the prime minister’s top security adviser, agreed, stating that the CSIS briefing provided to the Liberals was considered sufficient to mitigate the risk.

Commissioner of Canada Elections Caroline Simard mentioned during the inquiry on March 28 that she is investigating the Don Valley North nomination contest.

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