Just two weeks after being implicated in a Chinese election interference allegation, Liberal MP Han Dong has ignored requests for comment on China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims.
The Don Valley North MP Dong, who denied the election interference allegations, hasn’t responded to two requests sent to his office. The Counter Signal asked Dong if he considers China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims to be a form of genocide.
This ignored request follows reports from several outlets that noted Dong missed two Parliamentary votes related to condemning China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims.
Most recently, in February, two Liberal MPs proposed a motion to implement a plan that would bring 10,000 Uyghurs from across the world to Canada.
The motion said that Uyghurs are pressured to return to China, where many end up in re-education camps, are forced into labour, and even tortured. The BBC has reported that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has detained over one million Uyghurs in recent years.
The motion to take in Uyghurs passed unanimously in Parliament, but Dong missed it — even though he voted on the two motions surrounding it.
While Dong’s silence on the matter may raise suspicions of where his loyalties exist, it’s worth noting that he’s previously supported offering a home in Canada to Hong Kong residents “who share Canada’s values of freedom and democracy.”
Last month, Global News broke a story alleging an anonymous leaker from the Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS) said that the Chinese Consulate in Toronto helped Dong during his Liberal party nomination campaign.
The Chinese consulate allegedly mobilized Chinese international students and seniors to campaign for Dong and some other Liberal candidates.
The report further alleged that CSIS urged the Liberal Party to rescind Dong’s nomination upon discovering the interference — and that Trudeau ignored the suggestion.
Last week, Trudeau snubbed a vote passed by elected MPs that sought to have a public inquiry look into the allegations.
Instead, Trudeau has defended Dong and suggested those who don’t are engaging in anti-Asian racism.
