It beggars belief that Paul Chiang, the Liberal candidate for Markham-Unionville, continues to 'retain the confidence' of Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney. A simple apology for this 'spectacular lapse of judgment,' was all it took.
Canadians must be marvelling at just how little it takes, indeed.
This is what this guy said, as reported last Friday by the CBC. Chiang told a Chinese-language media news conference in January that 'people' should claim the bounty offered by the Hong Kong police on Joe Tay, the Conservative candidate for Don Valley North.
Specifically, according to the Toronto Association for Democracy in China, Chiang said, "To everyone here, you can claim the one-million-dollar bounty if you bring him to Toronto's Chinese consulate."
The offer was in Hong Kong dollars, and worth roughly C$184,000.
Because I am a simple soul, I cannot escape thinking this was the kind of black humour that police officers use to get them through difficult days. However, nobody has claimed that this was just a bad joke.
And Chiang himself has admitted that it was 'a spectacular lapse of judgment.'
However speaking this morning in Vaughan, Carney said that as Chiang had apologised 'to me (personally) for his 'spectacular lapse of judgment,' and to Joe Tay, and as Chiang had 'a long — 25 years — record of service to his community as a police officer,' Chiang 'retained his confidence and would remain the Liberal candidate.'
"He is a person of integrity."
Oh. That's a relief, then. Carney then added that he viewed the whole thing as 'a teachable moment.' How very Liberal; as his predecessor Mr. Trudeau was wont to say of his many stupidities, they were there for all of us to learn from, as though we were as likely to utter the same kind of nonsense as they were.
But let's say we agree with Carney. What's to learn here?
First, it's uncomfortable to be born in China and live in Toronto. Two years ago, Parliament's Public Safety Committee stated that:
"The RCMP is actively investigating reports of illegal activity, including criminal offences, in relation to the allegations of foreign police stations, which are allegedly affiliated with the People’s Republic of China and operating in Canada.
As the RCMP continues to investigate this matter, no further information will be provided at this time.
Anyone who feels threatened online or in person should report these incidents to their local police or should call 911."
From this we can learn that gallows humour or not, there's nothing to laugh at here. This is a community where a large number of people born in mainland China live, and continue to live in fear of Chinese interference in their lives, never mind their elections. When they call 911, what's going to be the attitude of the people who answer the phone?
What if it was Chiang, who picked up?
Just sayin'.
Second, notwithstanding Liberal efforts to pretend there's nothing to see around allegations of Chinese electoral interference, their denials lack force or plausibility. After all, it's not the strongest denial you can utter to say that the election results were not affected. It has been established that Chinese operatives tried, bussing people around and influencing candidate selection. Democracy Watch, a credible organization that has monitored Canadian politics for decades, has effectively discredited the exculpatory Hogue report on their activities.
Reasonable people may conclude that the Chinese Communist Party made at least some effort to get the people they wanted into the House of Commons.
Third, as of last week, the Government of Canada admitted that 'an unknown number of Canadians' had been executed in China. Meanwhile, 115 Canadians remained incarcerated in Chinese prisons.
So, had 'people' taken Chiang seriously, dropped Joe Tay off at the consulate, collected the money and gone home, what was next for Tay? Well, what?
And of course, if you are an eminent international person, you may have a legitimate reason to have your company borrow $250 million from the Chinese.
But clearly Mr. Carney is far more at ease dealing with the Chinese Communist Party than the rest of us. And he thinks that gives him the elevated understanding to say that whatever this Liberal candidate may have said, it's not the big deal we think it is. So move on please, nothing to see here...
For heaven's sake, Mr. Carney. Get somebody else for Markham-Unionville.