The Ontario Liberal MP accused of being at the heart of Chinese election interference spoke out for the first time Tuesday and said he was a proud Canadian..“I cannot defend myself against an unverified anonymous source,” MP Han Dong (Don Valley North, ON) told reporters..“I’m a Canadian nominated by registered Liberals in Don Valley North and elected by Canadians to serve Canadians. I know the truth because I know my campaign. I know the people that work on my campaign. I’ve worked with them for years.”.“How do you move forward from this?” asked a reporter..“Just keep my head down,” replied Dong..Blacklock's Reporter noted the MP is co-chair of the Canada-China Legislative Association. Global News on February 24 named Dong as a “witting affiliate in China’s election interference networks.” Global said the MP was under surveillance by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service as early as June 2019, months before his election to Parliament..Dong is one of a group of Liberal MPs to endorse the Confederation of Toronto Chinese Canadian Organizations. A witness at March 10 hearings of the Commons ethics committee named the Confederation as a Chinese Communist front “urged on and supported by Chinese consulates.”.“Has the People’s Republic of China played a role in your nomination, your election?” asked a reporter..“No, absolutely not,” replied Dong..“Do you dispute the Chinese Consul helped in your nomination?” asked a reporter..“I’ve never been offered nor would I accept any help from a foreign nation,” replied Dong..“That’s different than my question,” said a reporter: “My question is, did you know that the Chinese Consulate in Toronto or the Chinese Embassy here or any Chinese proxy was aiding in any way in your nomination?”.“I speak for myself,” replied Dong. “I was not aware of any help coming from a representative of another country. Like I said, I was never offered nor would accept.”.“And you weren’t aware?” asked a reporter. “Alright, so you’re making an assumption that there were activities as such.”.“Are you actually able to say there was no help, or it’s just that you weren’t aware of it?” asked a reporter..“I did not, was not offered, nor would I accept,” replied Dong. “I don’t know if it’s clear to you.”.“Are you categorically saying that the Chinese government did not have a role in your nomination?” asked a reporter..“You can check,” replied Dong..“Can you categorically say that they did not help you?” asked a reporter..“Yes, I can just say that,” replied Dong. “To my knowledge, I was not offered, I was not told, I was not informed, nor would I accept any help from a foreign country whether it be my nomination or my election campaign.”.“Do you support a public inquiry into this?” asked a reporter..“It’s the government’s or the prime minister’s decision,” replied Dong.
