Canadian delegation goes to China as foreign meddling inquiry opens

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As the federal inquiry on foreign interference by China and other nations resumed last week, hearing from activists who claim persecution by those countries, a much different sort of approach to the People’s Republic unfolded overseas.

A delegation of five MPs and senators, most of them on friendly terms with Beijing, visited China, meeting officials of the unelected National People’s Congress and other state institutions.

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At the head of the Canada-China Legislative Association group was co-chair Han Dong, an independent MP and former Liberal who was thrust into the heart of allegations about Chinese interference in Canada. Dong has strongly refuted charges that he was financially assisted by Beijing when first elected and secretly advised a Chinese diplomat in Toronto on how to handle the “Two Michaels” affair.

His group, along with Canada’s ambassador to Beijing, calls such trips a chance to improve the countries’ rocky relationship, address human rights and expand business ties with Canada’s second-biggest trading partner. The association has visited China numerous times.

But critics say latest mission was highly inappropriate in light of concerns about Beijing’s interference here, as well as issues such as the imprisonment of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor from 2018 to 2021 and the repression of China’s Uyghur minority, which the House of Commons has unanimously termed a genocide.

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“I find it dumbfounding,” said Kenny Chiu, the former Conservative MP who believes his chances in the 2021 election were torpedoed by a misinformation campaign orchestrated by Beijing. “These are politicians. If they have any skill at all, it’s the ability to…