Roundup: Han Dong exits caucus over anonymous allegations

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Global News was at it again yesterday, and citing two anonymous sources, accused Liberal MP Han Dong of meeting with Chinese consular officials to counsel them against freeing the two Michaels, because doing so would somehow assist the Conservatives. Buried in the story is a throwaway line that CSIS has been tracking Dong’s calls with the consulate, which is a pretty big deal if true. But there’s a whole lot in this report that is troubling and suspect.

First of all, that there are two anonymous sources doesn’t really mean much because they could be using the same intelligence report. Intelligence is not evidence, and we’ve been over this time and again. Also, if Dong is an agent of the Chinese government, why would he be giving them advice on the matter rather than relaying Beijing’s lines in Canada? And how exactly would Beijing freeing the two Michaels help the Conservatives? (One Conservative strategist tweeted that having the two Michaels detained gave the Liberals cover to avoid making any decisions on things like Huawei, which still doesn’t make sense because the signals to industry were crystal clear at this point). The fact that he called the consulate without informing PMO or the minister of foreign affairs is the potentially problematic thing here, but even then, it makes it hard to use this as some kind of proof that he is an agent of their interests. But there is a pattern in this reporting about making salacious claims that are very hard to square with how things operate, particularly in the political sphere.

https://twitter.com/StephanieCarvin/status/1638701542525087747

In the wake of these allegations, Dong has resigned from caucus and will sit as an independent (and the video of his speech is pretty devastating to watch), and it’s because he was not afforded due process, or any kind of fundamental justice or the ability to face his accusers. One would hope for a bit of reflection when it comes to the media ethics (or lack thereof) on display here, but sadly I doubt that’s going to happen.

Ukraine Dispatch:

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited troops near the front lines at Bakhmut yesterday, while Russians rained more missiles down on the country, hitting an apartment building in Zaporizhzhia and a university dorm near Kyiv.

https://twitter.com/defenceu/status/1638659920831606784

https://twitter.com/gerashchenko_en/status/1638495718640893953

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau called on Uganda to reconsider its anti-LGBTQ legislation.
  • US president Joe Biden arrives later today, and one of the topics on the agenda is likely to be defence spending and NORAD modernisation.
  • François-Philippe Champagne has finally tabled long-awaited legislation to force transparency with a corporate beneficial ownership registry.
  • Sean Fraser announced that special visa measures for Ukrainians looking to fleet to Canada will be extended until July.
  • Jean-Yves Duclos announced up to $1.5 billion over three years to improve access to drugs that treat rare diseases.
  • Some members of the Canadian Forces are sore that they won’t be beneficiaries of the new housing benefit, even though they no longer need it.
  • Census data shows that Canada grew by over a million people last year, which is a record-setting expansion.
  • Statistics Canada reports that in 2021, there was a 64 percent increase in hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people, and 67 percent in crimes related to religion.
  • An American political strategist at the Formerly-Known-As-The-Manning Conference “joked” about killing Trudeau. (Irony poisoning isn’t a joke, guys).
  • Stephen Harper was also at said conference, saying that Canada needs a “Conservative renaissance” as he defended populism from the “liberal media.”
  • Here is a recap of the two days of hearings at the Supreme Court of Canada on the constitutionality of the Impact Assessment Act.
  • Mélanie Joly was before the immigration committee to answer questions about the chaotic pull-out of Kabul during the Taliban takeover.
  • Liberal MP Gary Anandasangaree called Sri Lanka a “failed and bankrupt state,” but the government won’t say if that reflects their official position.
  • Pierre Poilievre will get a pull-aside meeting with Biden during his visit.
  • Ontario is ending its three paid sick days programme, because these murderclowns didn’t learn a gods damned thing during the pandemic.
  • Kevin Carmichael puts the latest wage and inflation data into context, particularly as the Bank of Canada continues to try and find a way toward a “soft landing.”
  • Emmett Macfarlane is critical of the decision to sit seven judges instead of eight on the Supreme Court of Canada hearing on the Impact Assessment Act.
  • Kady O’Malley reflects on the current state of confidence and threatened confidence votes, and what is signals about the current Parliament.

Odds and ends:

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2 thoughts on “Roundup: Han Dong exits caucus over anonymous allegations”

  1. I hope Dong sues Cooper and Global to oblivion. An innocent man has been tried and convicted in the court of public opinion with the flimsiest of standards that would be rubbished out of a court of law.

  2. Four words sum up the disgrace caused by Global…witch hunt and force majeure. Dong could have done what is alleged but he cannot defend himself
    therefore he is a dead man walking. Shame on Global, shame on us!

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