A Chinese-Canadian lawmaker, cited in unconfirmed media reports as having ties to the Beijing government, forcefully denied those allegations, but announced his resignation as a member of the Liberal PartyLiberal Party led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau last month denied a media report that the party had been warned by the country's spy agency to drop Han Dong, a Toronto-area member of parliament, as a Liberal candidate ahead of the 2019 election because he had Beijing's support.
Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig returned to Canada in September 2021 after Chinese executive Meng Wanzhou was released from house arrest in Canada.
I did nothing to cause them any harm. Like everyone in the house, I worked hard and advocated for their interests, said Han, a member of Parliament after the Global News report.
Trudeau bowed to pressure from the opposition earlier this week and agreed to allow his top aides to testify before a parliamentary committee on alleged Chinese election interference.
What is being reported as false and I will defend myself against these absolutely untrue claims, Han said after he said he would sit as an independent in parliament and leave the Liberal caucus.
He said that sitting in the government caucus is a privilege and that my presence may be seen as a conflict of duty and the wrong place to be as an independent investigation pursues the facts.