NDP leader says Han Dong shouldn't be allowed back into Liberal caucus
CBC
After reading an unredacted report from one of Canada's intelligence oversight bodies, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he now thinks that Independent MP Han Dong shouldn't be allowed back into the Liberal caucus.
Last week, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), a cross-party committee of MPs and senators with top security clearances, released a heavily blacked-out document alleging, based on intelligence, that some parliamentarians have been "semi-witting or witting" participants in the efforts of foreign states to interfere in Canadian politics.
Earlier this week, Singh — after receiving the proper security clearances — read an unredacted version of the report and said he was "alarmed" by what he saw.
Speaking to CBC News Network's Power & Politics on Friday, Singh accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of not acting on the information in the report, and pointed to Dong's case as an example.
"It is clear that [Dong] knew and, in his actions, implicitly accepted a certain level of foreign interference," Singh told host David Cochrane.
"That sends a message that it is fair game for foreign powers to continue to try to influence, or manipulate or interfere with MPs."
Dong left the Liberal caucus last year after Global News published a number of reports about the Toronto-area MP that cited security sources. One of those reports alleged that the Chinese government had interfered in Dong's Liberal nomination contest in 2019.
The public inquiry investigating foreign interference, headed by Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue, has seen intelligence summaries from CSIS suggesting that it feared international students may have been bused in to take part in the nomination vote and given fake documents to allow them to vote for Dong.
Trudeau and senior Liberal party officials told the inquiry that they were aware of CSIS's concerns about Dong's nomination contest but said the evidence wasn't enough to remove him as a candidate.
Singh said Friday that Trudeau should have dropped Dong as a Liberal candidate.
"The intelligence briefing … concerning foreign interference for the candidate should have caused some serious concern about that candidate moving forward," he said.
Dong has been seeking to rejoin the Liberals since last year. When asked if he thinks the Liberals should not allow Dong back in, Singh replied, "Absolutely."
CBC News has reached out to Dong for reaction to Singh's comments, but has yet to receive a response.
Earlier Friday, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc was asked by reporters about the NSICOP report more generally. He said he wouldn't be going into details about the report.
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