OTTAWA – The head of the RCMP told a federal committee it is investigating alleged foreign interference and intimidation against Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong.
Michael Duheme, acting RCMP commissioner, confirmed this to the procedure and house affairs committee Tuesday morning.
Duheme told the committee the RCMP first became aware of these allegations through the media.
Earlier in May, a Globe and Mail published an article stating a document from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service showed there was a plot by China to have the Conservative MP’s foreign relatives investigated.
Chong, the Conservative’s shadow minister for foreign affairs, has been a vocal critic of the People’s Republic of China, particularly the treatment of Uyghur Muslims. Chong was among Canadian politicians sanctioned by China after voting to declare the Chinese government’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims as a genocide.
“The intimidation of MPs is a concern because it poses a threat to the safety of elected leaders and poses a threat to our democracy,” Duheme told the committee in French. “I want to assure members of this committee that we are aware of these threats and are responding to and combating foreign interference.”
The Canadian Press reports the RCMP is also investigating alleged interference involving former Conservative party leader Erin O’Toole and New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan.
