Liberal MP apologizes for suggesting Tory candidate be turned over to Chinese consulate for Hong Kong bounty

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A Liberal MP has issued an abject apology after encouraging people in his Toronto-area riding to turn in a Conservative politician to the Chinese consulate and collect the $183,000 bounty placed on his head by Hong Kong police.

Conservative candidate Joe Tay, a former resident of Hong Kong, had been charged under the Asian city’s widely condemned national-security law for running a YouTube channel in Canada that was critical of the enclave’s Beijing-dominated government.

Tay was until recently vying for the Conservative nomination in Liberal Paul Chiang’s Markham—Unionville constituency; he’s now running in Don Valley North instead. China critics say the timing of the bounty was designed by Beijing to undermine his chances of winning the Markham riding, which has a large ethnic Chinese population.

At a news conference with Chinese-language media in January, Chiang suggested the Hong Kong criminal charge would cause a “great controversy” if Tay was elected to Parliament, according to the Ming Pao newspaper. Then he went further.

“If you can take him to the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto, you can get the million-dollar reward,” the Liberal MP suggested to laughter from his audience. It’s unclear if he meant the remarks as a joke or not.

The comments were not publicized outside of the Chinese-Canadian community until the Toronto Association for Democracy in China brought them to the fore on Friday. The group accused Chiang of abating a foreign power’s interference in Canadian politics and jeopardizing Tay’s safety.

“You’re free to have your own opinion,” association spokesman Cheuk Kwan said in an interview. “But to be an incumbent MP running for election and being a servant of the government of Canada, you have at least a moral obligation to uphold Canadian values.”

Hours after the group issued a news release about the episode, Chiang posted his apology on X, the social-media site formerly known as Twitter.

“The comments I made were deplorable and a complete lapse of judgment on the seriousness of the matter,” the MP wrote. “As a former police officer, I should have known better. I sincerely apologize and deeply regret my comments.

“I will always continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Hong Kong in their fight to safeguard their human rights and freedoms.”

When asked for further comment, Chiang’s campaign directed the National Post to the statement on X.

Tay could not be reached for comment but Conservative MP Michael Chong called for Liberal Leader Mark Carney to remove Chiang as a candidate.

“Liberal candidate Paul Chiang in Markham-Unionville called for a Conservative candidate to be turned over to the authoritarian regime in Beijing in return for a CCP bounty,” Chong said on X. “This is outrageous, and it’s no accident. It’s part of a long time pattern of Liberals neglecting Canada’s national security in favour of their own partisan interest.”

Liberal campaign headquarters was unable to respond to a call for reaction by deadline.

Kwan – who also said the Liberals should seriously consider pulling Chiang as a candidate — said he appreciates that the MP did apologize, but noted that it came only after his remarks were publicized in the broader community.

“If we didn’t break the story, he would not have done anything,” Kwan charged. “He was ‘smart enough’ to do this in the ethnic press, because he felt safe he wasn’t talking to the Globe and Mail or National Post. So he told the truth of where he stands.”

Gloria Fung of the group Canada Hong Kong Link, one of the most vocal critics of Chinese interference here, added to the calls for Chiang to be replaced as the Liberal candidate in Markham-Unionville.

“It is outrageous to see an MP of the Liberal government openly encouraging the transnational repression and election interference of the (Chinese Communist Party) on Canadian soil,” she said.

Kwan said the Chinese government has long supported Liberal MPs, but he was critical of the Conservatives as well.

He pointed to the fact that Tay was moved to Liberal-dominated Don Valley North, while the party passed over former MP Kenny Chiu – a staunch critic of the Chinese government – in appointing another person to run in his B.C. riding, Richmond East-Steveston. Chiu and others blamed a social-media campaign they believe was orchestrated by Beijing for his defeat in the 2021 election. The Tories probably considered both politicians to be “toxic” in constituencies dominated by immigrants from mainland China, said Kwan.

In Markham-Unionville, Tay faced opposition soon after Christmas Eve when Hong Kong police announced the bounty, which is $1 million in Hong Kong dollars. He was vying against former MP Bob Saroya for the Conservative nomination.

A former Saroya aide suggested on the China-based WeChat social-media site that the charge would prevent Tay from running for the Tories — despite emanating from police in a repressive one-party state.

“The party … already knows. I guess his candidacy will be cancelled. Isn’t it necessary to have a document? It is called ‘No criminal record certificate,’ ” she wrote, according to Google translation of the exchange.

Another WeChat user said that Tay will cause a “mess” for Canada and should be kicked out.