Canada MP quits election race over Chinese bounty comments
Canadian member of parliament Paul Chiang has quit as a Liberal Party candidate over comments he made suggesting a political rival should be turned over to the Chinese consulate in return for a bounty.
Tay, who is running for the Conservatives in the 28 April federal election, is one of a number of overseas activists who have been targeted by Hong Kong police for allegedly breaking the city's national security law.
Chiang said he is withdrawing from the race to avoid "distractions in this critical moment".
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who had previously defended Chiang, said on Tuesday he had accepted his candidate's resignation.
"As I said yesterday, his comments were deeply troubling and regrettable," said Carney as he campaigned in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The Liberal leader had said the day before that Chiang would stay on as the party's candidate in a Toronto-area riding given that he had apologised for the remarks, which were made earlier this year at a Chinese-language media event.
Tay, who was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada as an adult, is co-founder of Canada-based nonprofit group HongKonger Station, which promotes democracy and free speech.
Last December, Hong Kong police offered a HK$1m (C$184,000; $128,000) bounty for information leading to Tay's arrest, accusing him of incitement to secession and collusion with a foreign country.
The Conservative candidate, who is also running for a Toronto area seat, rejected Chiang's apology and called for his firing.
"His threatening public comments were intended to intimidate me, and they must not be tolerated," Tay said in a statement.
Hong Kong national security law: What is it and is it worrying?
Chiang announced he was stepping down in a social media post shortly after midnight, saying he had served with the "fullest commitment to keeping people safe and protecting our country's values".
His resignation came after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told Canadian media the force is "looking into the matter".
"Foreign actor interference, including instances of transnational repression, continues to be a pervasive threat in Canada," a spokesperson told Globe and Mail.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre on Tuesday criticised Carney for not removing Chiang when the comments came to light late last week.
"Mr Carney will never put this country first, he will always put himself first," he said.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives removed one of their candidates over comments made on a 2022 podcast, where he appeared to joke about former prime minister Justin Trudeau deserving the death penalty.
Poilievre told CTV News, which first reported on the remarks, that they were "unacceptable".
Five things to look for in Canada's election
Trump looms over Canada's election as campaign begins
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
11 minutes ago
- The Hill
Doug Ford urges Canada's leader to ramp up tariffs on US
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is pressuring Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney to ramp up tariffs against the United States after President Trump doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum earlier this week. 'I highly recommended to the prime minister directly that we slap another 25 percent on top of our tariffs to equal President Trump's tariffs on our steel,' Ford said during his Wednesday appearance on CNN's 'Situation Room.' 'He has to, he has to start looking around the world at China and other locations that are taking Chinese steel and really stop the flow of steel. That's the problem,' Ford told host Wolf Blitzer. 'Canada is not the problem. Again. We purchased 30 billion, with a 'B,' of steel off the US, and that's going to come to an end real quick.' Trump signed the executive order to hike the tariffs on Tuesday. The measure went into effect on Wednesday and would levy steel and aluminum tariffs on almost all imports to the U.S.. The United Kingdom is exempt as it inked a trade deal with Washington last month. Canada has retaliated against the U.S. previously, slapping a 25 percent reciprocal tariff on U.S. aluminum and steel products. Carney, who met with Trump at the White House in early May, did not express readiness to implement Ford's suggestion. 'We will take some time, not much, some time because we are in intensive discussions right now with the Americans on the trading relationship,' Carney said to reporters on Wednesday, according to Politico. 'Those discussions are progressing. I would note that the American action is a global action. It's not one targeted in Canada, so we will take some time, but not more,' the prime minister said. Ontario is open to imposing its own countermeasures, according to Ford. When asked on Wednesday if willing to bring back the electricity surcharge, he told reporters that 'everything's on the table.' Ontario implemented a 25 percent extra charge on the electricity Canada exports to three U.S. states after Trump threatened to double tariffs on steel and aluminum. Ford eventually spoke to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and later suspended the tax impacting Michigan, New York and Minnesota.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
It's fair to criticise ‘activist' Hermer, says his lawyer friend
Lord Hermer, the Attorney General, can be 'fairly' criticised over his 'activism' as a lawyer, a legal friend has said. Ben Williams KC said Lord Hermer was an 'open activist' throughout his career, and claimed Sir Keir Starmer would have known this when he appointed him Attorney General. He suggested this provided an insight into the Prime Minister's own views on how the law could be used to pursue a political agenda. The suggestion comes despite Lord Hermer's claims that lawyers only take cases based on the 'cab rank' principle, which requires barristers to accept cases within their area of expertise, regardless of the client. Mr Williams, who has presented cases with Lord Hermer, made his comments on Twitter in response to a video issued by Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, in which he attacked Lord Hermer for spending his career 'defending Britain's enemies' in court. Credit: X/@RobertJenrick Saying the Attorney General was unfit for the job because of his past legal activism, Mr Jenrick linked him to a range of controversial figures he has represented, including Gerry Adams, Shamima Begum, the Isis bride, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, described as Osama Bin Laden's 'right hand man'. Mr Williams tweeted: 'As a lawyer [and] a friend of Rich Hermer, I find this unpleasant. But before the usual suspects erupt, it's also entirely fair political comment. 'RH was an open activist throughout his career, [and] Starmer knew this when he chose to knife his shadow AG [Emily Thornberry] to appoint RH instead. 'This is obviously revealing about Starmer's own position on using the law as a political instrument; [and] both he and Rich will have known perfectly well that the latter's long history of acting against the UK Government would be subject to legitimate political attack. 'On reflection, I should have said that I find it discomfiting. It is not unpleasant.' Lord Hermer has come under increasing pressure over several controversial moves in Government, including a key role in Britain's surrender of the Chagos Islands. He was also forced to apologise for a 'clumsy' remark that compared Conservative and Reform calls to quit the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) with the early days of Nazi Germany. Sir Keir has faced calls to sack his Attorney General, with Kemi Badenoch arguing that Lord Hermer 'believes in the rule of lawyers, not the rule of law'. Lord Hermer and his allies have previously argued that he has only represented controversial figures as a result of the 'cab rank rule', an ethical principle that requires lawyers to accept instructions from clients, even if they disagree with the views or alleged crimes. However, in a previous tweet, Mr Williams challenged the concept barristers are strictly forbidden in any case from refusing to represent a client on the grounds they found them objectionable. Responding to a Twitter user making that argument, he said: 'This is at best unreal. You know perfectly well that the Bar is full of people who say 'I only defend', 'I won't represent alleged rapists', or 'I won't represent landlords'. 'As to the last, I went to a judicial valedictory last year where this specific position was openly celebrated. There are entire chambers that declare themselves 'radical'. 'The idea that one can't extrapolate revealed preferences from a career of acting only for a specific demographic is absurd.' In his video, Mr Jenrick challenged Lord Hermer's cab rank defence, saying he 'would have been inundated with cases, able to choose the pick of the bunch'. A Tory source said: 'Starmer and Hermer's mate, Philippe Sands, admitted he refused to represent Augusto Pinochet. The selective use of the cab rank rule is widespread amongst so-called human rights lawyers. Activist barristers now actively boast of their ideological purity.' However, Lord Hermer has been defended by some Tory legal experts. Dominic Grieve, the former attorney general, said Mr Jenrick's video was a 'disgraceful' attack on the UK's 'principles of justice and freedoms' which relied on a 'level playing field' for individuals' legal representation under the cab rank rule. A spokesman for the Attorney General's Office said: 'Law officers such as the Attorney General will naturally have an extensive legal background and may have previously been involved in a wide number of past cases. Barristers do not associate themselves with their clients' opinions.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Update on bringing together four council payroll systems
STAFF at Cumberland Council were all paid through the same payroll system for the first time since the unitary authority was formed last month, councillors have heard. Members of the council's business and resources overview and scrutiny committee met at Allerdale House in Workington on get an update on staff sickness absences on Tuesday (June 3). Before she started her update Jacqui Green, assistant director of human resources and organisational development, told members of the progress made in unifying the authority's payroll system. The work is required because when it was formed as a new unitary authority it inherited four different payroll systems from the former Carlisle City, Allerdale, Copeland and Cumbria County councils. Relating to sickness absences Ms Green said there was a big focus on early intervention and staff wellbeing and the aim was to identify issues early on. According to her report there are still four separate sickness absence policies which managers must apply. The report states: 'The human resources and organisational development (HROD) team have engaged with managers and are currently working with the council's recognised trade unions to develop one policy to manage absences. 'It is expected that a new policy will be finalised in June 2025. This new approach will have a focus on prevention and wellbeing. 'This will support a reduction in the council sickness absence rate. The introduction of the policy will be facilitated by a mandatory programme of dedicated upskilling for managers to support them in their line management duties. Trade union colleagues will also be invited to attend the training.' When councillor David Moore (Gosforth, Conservative) asked if there was a timeline for bringing the policies together Ms Green assured him she was hopeful that it should be completed by the end of the month. It was recommended that the next report, which details further progress, is presented to the committee in six months' time which was agreed.
