MPs went against the Trudeau government and voted 170 to 150 in favour of rounding up Chinese spies and requiring foreign agents to register in Canada.. Michael ChongMichael Chong .As the MPs voted for stricter measures against foreign interference, the government expelled its first Chinese Communist agent..“It shouldn’t have taken this long,” said Conservative MP Michael Chong (Wellington-Halton Hills, ON). .“It should not have taken two years.”.A Conservative motion endorsed by New Democrat, Bloc Québécois and Green MPs demanded that the government “expel China diplomats responsible for and involved in affronts to Canadian democracy” and “immediately create a foreign agent registry similar to Australia and the United States.”.Liberal MPs rejected the motion as too hasty even as the government finalized its first expulsion of a Chinese envoy, Zhao Wei..The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) named the diplomat working at China’s consulate in Toronto as a foreign agent responsible for threatening the family of Chong..“The government knew some time ago that Zhao Wei, operating out of the People’s Republic of China consulate on St. George Street and Bernard Street in Toronto, was gathering information on Canadian soil about me and my family in order to further target and intimidate me,” said Chong..Zhao is the first foreign diplomat ordered out of Canada since the 2018 expulsion of four Russians..“We will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs,” the department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement..“Diplomats in Canada have been warned if they engage in this type of behaviour, they will be sent home.”.“We don’t know if there are others,” said New Democrat MP Heather McPherson (Edmonton Strathcona, AB). .“There are members of the Chinese-Canadian community who have been warning about interference, warning about intimidation for decades. The fact we are just getting this action now is appalling.”.According to Blacklock’s Reporter, members of the Conservative caucus said the government had no choice but to expel Zhao..“It’s sad it took this long to finally make the right decision,” said Conservative MP Bob Zimmer (Prince George-Peace River, BC). .“It’s what they had to do,” said Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus (Charlesbourg-Haute St. Charles, QC)..Zhao was named in a CSIS memo dated July 20, 2021, three weeks before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called that year’s election..Trudeau has denied learning of the memo though it was shared with his office..“I think they don’t understand China,” Bloc Québécois MP René Villemure (Trois-Rivières, QC) told reporters on Monday..“When you’re wrong, you’re wrong,” he added..“We cannot tolerate it.”
