'Persona non grata:' Canada expelling Chinese diplomat after threats to Conservative MP
CTV
The Liberal government is expelling Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei, whom Canada's spy agency alleged was involved in a plot to intimidate Conservative MP Michael Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong.
The Liberal government is expelling Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei, whom Canada's spy agency alleged was involved in a plot to intimidate Conservative MP Michael Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly wrote in a statement that Canada has declared the Toronto-based diplomat as "persona non grata."
"We will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs," she wrote.
"Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this type of behaviour, they will be sent home."
Joly's statement came just as MPs were voting in favour of a Conservation motion calling for certain diplomats to be expelled and for the government to call a public inquiry into foreign interference.
Calls for Zhao to be expelled began last week after a report in the Globe and Mail that CSIS had information in 2021 that the Chinese government was looking at ways to intimidate Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong. the federal government has confirmed that report.
The federal government took its time to decide whether to proceed with both Joly and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warning about backlash.
