Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pushing back against a recent news report that alleges security officials urged the Liberal Party to rescind the nomination of one of its MPs.
“In a free democracy, it is not up to unelected security officials to dictate to political parties who can or cannot run,” the prime minister told a news conference Monday.
Trudeau was responding to a question about a Global News report that suggests Liberal MP Han Dong was allegedly helped by the Chinese consulate while running in the Toronto-area riding of Don Valley North during the 2019 election.
The report cites anonymous sources that alleged the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) urged senior Liberal Party staff to rescind his nomination, but Trudeau approved his candidacy.
“The suggestions we’ve seen in the media that CSIS would somehow say, ‘No this person can’t run or that person can’t run,’ is not just false. It’s actually damaging to people’s confidence in our democratic and political institutions,” Trudeau said Monday.
Dong said in a media statement that his nomination and campaign teams have found no indications of irregularities or compliance issues regarding his candidacy or election.
“I have the utmost regard for the integrity of our democratic institutions and electoral processes,” the statement reads.
Dong said all procedures and processes related to his campaign and political career have been publicly reported as required.
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