Former Liberal MP Han Dong spoke about the detention of the “two Michaels” with an official from the Chinese government but did not suggest their imprisonment should be extended according to a highly-anticipated report on foreign interference in Canada.
Former governor general David Johnston, who recommended against a public inquiry into foreign interference Tuesday, confirmed Global News’ March 22 reporting that Dong discussed Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor’s detention with an official from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a conversation he did not previously disclose to the government.
But Johnston, who was appointed as a special rapporteur on foreign interference by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said that the allegation Dong suggested the PRC extend their detention “is false.”
“The allegation that he did make that suggestion has had a very adverse effect on Mr. Dong. He continued to maintain close relationships with PRC consular officials at least through the 2021 election,” Johnston wrote in his report, released Tuesday afternoon.
“Ministers and the Prime Minister went out of their way to defend Mr. Dong, whom they believe has been badly harmed by the reporting … They received no recommendations about this allegation, as it is false.”
Global News reported on March 22 that Dong, a former Ontario MPP who now serves as an independent MP for Don Valley North, “privately advised a senior Chinese diplomat in February 2021 that Beijing should hold off freeing Kovrig and Spavor,” who at the time had been detained on national security charges for more than two years.
Global’s reporting was based on two separate national security sources, and built on previous reporting of Beijing’s foreign interference in Canadian political affairs.
Spavor and Kovrig were detained in what was widely viewed as retaliation for Canadian authorities’ arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who was wanted in the U.S. on fraud charges. The “two Michaels,” as they became known, were released shortly after Meng returned to China.
In a statement in March, Dong acknowledged that he discussed their captivity with a member of the Chinese consulate in Toronto, but said he advocated for their immediate release. Dong is currently suing Global News over the report.
Global News editor-in-chief Sonia Verma has stood by the outlet’s reporting, saying in a March statement that “Global News is governed by a rigorous set of journalistic principles and practices, and we are very mindful of the public interest and legal responsibility of this important accountability reporting.”
After reviewing classified intelligence reports, Johnston concluded that there were “irregularities” observed with Dong’s nomination for the federal Liberals in 2019, and “there is well-grounded suspicion that the irregularities were tied to the PRC consulate in Toronto, with whom Mr. Dong maintains relationships.”
“In reviewing the intelligence, I did not find evidence that Mr. Dong was aware of the irregularities or the PRC Consulate’s potential involvement in his nomination.”
“The Prime Minister was briefed about these irregularities, although no specific recommendation was provided. (Trudeau) concluded there was no basis to displace Mr. Dong as the candidate for Don Valley North.”
At a press conference in Ottawa Tuesday, Johnston was pressed on the allegations Dong had private discussions with PRC officials to discuss Canadian political matters. Johnston responded by reading from the report, and suggested he had to keep his public comments limited to unclassified materials.
Asked about the threat of Chinese interference generally, and the Liberal government’s apparent reluctance to discuss it publicly, Johnston said he does not think “there was any conscious desire to suppress and to diminish this.”
“I think it was clear that we (the government) have not acted as quickly and as thoroughly … (to) a threat that has been growing,” Johnston said.
With a file from the Canadian Press.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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