O'Toole Says He Mulled Expelling Conservative Senator Over Foreign Influence Concerns
Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole told the Foreign Interference Commission on Sept. 18 that he considered removing a senator from his party's caucus over concerns of potential foreign influence.
Testifying before the Foreign Interference Commission on Sept. 18, O'Toole said a local mayor informed one of his MPs that a Conservative senator had been advocating for a Chinese company in Ontario. O'Toole expressed "serious concerns" about the issue, particularly due to the senator receiving what he described as "pretty extensive" sponsored travel to China.
"It was completely inappropriate for a member of the Senate to be advocating for a commercial interest related to a foreign entity in a riding in Canada," O'Toole told the commission without naming the senator at the centre of his concerns.
"Given that we were having very serious discussions at the time with respect to the relationship with China, the situation with the two Michaels, the consideration of the plight of the Uyghur peoples, Hong Kong, I was very concerned about this member."
O'Toole said he was "exploring removing this member from caucus" but did not have support from intelligence services to verify the allegations.
"The concern that some of my caucus members expressed to me was that if I took a rash decision about removing a member, I could be accused of racism. I could be accused of not allowing someone the right to respond. So I was in a real conundrum on how to handle it," he said.
During a cross-examination session at the commission hearing, Neil Chantler, counsel for the advocacy group Chinese Canadian Concern Group, noted that it is a "common refrain" for pro-Beijing groups or actors advocating for other foreign states to "turn efforts against them into accusations of racism."
"Nobody wants to be accused of being racist," Chantler said. "It's a very effective counter attack to our legitimate efforts to combat foreign interference."
"If there is manipulation or interference, parties should know that before someone walks in to take their oath and seats in the House of Commons," he said.
"My main concern right now is with the Liberal Party," O'Toole said. "Because in that situation, there is no membership [fee], there is no cost to join. If you supply an email address, you're in."
He noted that if an organizer or a diaspora figure were to gather emails, it could lead to non-citizens or visiting students voting in a nomination contest. O'Toole further raised concerns about these individuals being "marshaled or pressured" into participating in the process.
The document, citing intelligence reports, stated that international students—some with falsified documents—were bused to the nomination meeting and received "veiled threats" from the Chinese Consulate regarding their student visa status if they did not support the candidacy of Han Dong, who ultimately triumphed in that race, becoming the Liberal candidate and moving on to win in the 2019 election.
