Liberal candidate Paul Chiang has announced he is stepping aside following allegations that he called for Conservative candidate Jay Tay to be handed over to communist China in exchange for a bounty.
The announcement comes hours after the RCMP told the state broadcaster CBC News that they are currently investigating whether his remarks violated Canadian law. Meanwhile, Liberal leader Mark Carney refused to fire him after being confronted on the issue by the media.
Chiang announced this morning that he is stepping aside as the Liberal candidate in Markham-Unionville. In a statement, he said, “With so much at stake for Canadians, I do not want there to be distractions in this critical moment. That’s why I’m standing aside as our 2025 candidate in our community of Markham-Unionville.”
The explosive report by the Toronto Association for Democracy in China alleges that Chiang, who was running for re-election in Markham-Unionville, was quoted in a Chinese-language media outlet allegedly suggesting that somebody “can claim the one-million-dollar bounty” if they brought Tay “to Toronto’s Chinese Consulate.”
National security experts, opposition figures, and Chinese dissidents have condemned the alleged comments.
Chiang allegedly made the comments to the CCP-funded, Hong Kong-based outlet Ming Pao.
Tay, the conservative candidate running in Don Valley West, has been a vocal critic of the Chinese Communist Party, and reports have indicated the Chinese authorities have placed a bounty on him.
The bounty, reportedly worth HK$1 million, had been issued by CCP-influenced Hong Kong authorities.
This controversy comes amid ongoing allegations of foreign interference in Canadian elections, particularly from China.
Conservative MP Michael Chong, a staunch advocate against Chinese interference in Canadian democracy, has long accused the Liberals of failing to take the issue seriously.
Chong commented, “It’s outrageous that after years of turning a blind eye to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) foreign interference, warnings from experts, and a public inquiry, that the Liberals continue to play footsie with foreign interference, putting the security of Canadians at risk.”
“This is part of a long-time pattern of Liberals neglecting Canada’s national security in favour of their own partisan interests.,” he continued.
Chiang was previously endorsed by and received positive coverage from Sing Tao, another China-aligned Hong Kong paper, detailing his civil awards in Canada and celebrating his political accomplishments in becoming a Canadian MP.