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Written by: Aidan Jonah

A Liberal MP candidate in Toronto is coming under extreme scrutiny, because he hasn’t towed Canada’s anti-China party line. Canada’s McCarthyite atmosphere continues to ramp up.

Which candidate replaced the MP, how is he being attacked?

A former Liberal MP, Paul Chiang, represented the Markham-Unionville federal riding between 2021 to 2025. Chiang was caught suggesting that people could turn in Joe Tay, now the Conservative candidate for the same riding, and one of the six HKers with the $1 million bounty slapped on their head for actions around the 2019 Western-backed riots in HK. There are some claims that Chiang’s comments were made as a joke, rather than a serious suggestion.

Regardless, this situation led to Chiang’s resignation from the Liberal nomination for Markham-Unionville. This came amidst long-term Conservative party bitterness about Chiang’s victory in 2021, with the Conservatives and their media allies claiming Chinese ‘interference’ drove former MP Bob Saroya’s defeat in the riding, without proper evidence to back the claim up.

Peter Yuen, a former Toronto police deputy chief, was selected to replace Chiang, as Liberal candidate for Markham-Unionville. He's been targeted by members of the anti-Chinese government faction of Chinese Canadian diaspora, and their supporters (ex. 1, ex. 2, ex. 3), for daring to have sung “My Chinese Heart” at a Chinese Canadian community event in 2017. The anti-communist diaspora faction's narrative is that this song indicates 'loyalty' to the Chinese government because "In 2009, My Chinese Heart was selected as one of the 100 patriotic songs recommended by the Central Propaganda Department."

Canada’s Globe & Mail, known for having a prominent journalist volunteer to promote a domestic intelligence campaign pushing paranoia about foreign interference in Canadian politics, has gone after Yuen.

Robert Fife and Steven Chase, the same two who were caught doing CSIS’ dirty work, produced an article that claimed (bolding added):

“Mr. Yuen appears to have a strong relationship with China’s diplomatic mission in Toronto.
In the context of Yuen being a former honourary director at JCCC: Statements and actions by JCCC echo narratives pushed by Beijing that, according to Human Rights Watch, has deepened repression of its citizens under Mr. Xi’s rule.”
According to Cheuk Kwan of Toronto Association for Democracy in Canada: “it is well known within the Chinese-Canadian community that the JCCC and Chinese Freemasons are pro-Beijing proxy organizations.”

Yuen was further targeted by association:

“Mr. Yuen has also spoken at and attended events of the Toronto branch of Chinese Freemasons, which has advocated for what it calls the ‘peaceful reunification of China and Taiwan,’ a phrase rejected by the Taiwanese government, which contends that only the self-governing island can decide its own future.”

The Globe & Mail wanted Yuen, as a potential Liberal MP, to do the usual ‘China bad’ declaration, but he didn’t oblige as the article notes:

“[Yuen] declined to answer e-mailed questions from The Globe and Mail on whether he supports Taiwan’s self-determination, condemns China’s crimes against its Uyghur minority or disapproves of UFWD activities.”

A further Fife and Chase article targeted Yuen for accepting an invitation to a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) celebration in 2015, but his participation was greenlighted by Toronto’s police service.

A Global News article attacked Yuen for his participation in 2014 and 2016 events – one in which he presented a plaque to a former Chinese Consul General in Toronto, and another of the then-Liberal provincial government’s flag raising ceremony for the 67th anniversary of the PRC’s founding in 1949 – and promoted the perspective of the same Kwan whose views were promoted by the Globe & Mail.

Sam Cooper, known for claiming movie footage ‘proved’ an ex-RCMP officer met with the mafia in Macau – then claiming his failure was somehow China’s fault, when caught - also joined in the pressure campaign on Yuen. After Yuen became the replacement Liberal candidate for Markham-Unionville, Cooper used Conservative party sources, to claim without evidence, that China interfered in that riding during the 2021 election race.

Chiang pressured into political retirement

After Chiang’s comments about Tay were unearthed, outrage amongst Canada’s political elite spread rapidly.

Initially, it looked as though Chiang would continue being the Liberal candidate for Markham-Unionville, as Liberal leader Mark Carney came out to call Chiang’s comments "deeply offensive", but a “teachable moment”, and kept Chiang as a candidate.

However, Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed on March 31, 2025, that they were “reviewing whether a Toronto-area Liberal candidate broke the law” with his comments about Tay. Given how the Canadian political establishment is coddling and supporting the anti-Chinese government faction of the Chinese Canadian diaspora, Hong Kong Watch (HKW)’s comments need to be considered:

“Mr. Chiang’s conduct would appear to fit within the parameters of counselling to commit the indictable offence of kidnapping, per section 464 of the Criminal Code.”

The anti-democratic Bill C-70 (against foreign interference), which The Canada Files warned (ex. 1, ex. 2) about last summer, contains very broad and vague text that punishes supposed interference with life imprisonment. Hong Kong Watch cited it regarding Chiang:

“In addition, Section 20 of the Foreign Interference and Security of Information Act passed by Parliament into law last year, states, ‘Every person commits an offence who, at the direction of, for the benefit of or in association with, a foreign entity or a terrorist group, induces or attempts to induce, by intimidation, threat or violence, any person to do anything or to cause anything to be done.’”

HKW made their comments in a March 31 letter to RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme, which included this demand:

“As Canadians prepare to vote on April 28, you must provide reassurance that the RCMP is capable of countering foreign interference.”

On the same day, the RCMP confirmed they were investigating Chiang’s comments about Tay. HKW proudly stated that “Late on 31 March, following this letter, Paul Chiang announced he was stepping aside from the federal election.”

Canada’s support for Hong Kong rioters

Why would Canada’s political elite be so protective of the HongKongers in Canada? Because they produced apologetics for the rioters in 2019/2020 – including complaints about the 2020 National Security Law that clamped down on foreign funding – and the cancellation of the extradition treaty between Canada and China’s HKSAR that same year. Anti-China rioter Agnes Chow also took the opportunity to be an international student in Canada, despite being under investigation for additional charges – other than incitement and unlawful assembly charges which she pled guilty to - and used the chance to flee China.

Canada has been facilitating the HongKongers’ cooperation with the other elements of the anti-Chinese government faction of the Chinese Canadian diaspora.

Last year, Canadian parliamentarians began working to boost the profile of HongKongers and damage Canada’s relationship with China’s Hong Kong SAR through a parliament subcommittee, but their efforts were defeated temporarily when Canada’s parliament was prorogued and then an election was called.

With Conservative candidate Joe Tay having a shot of becoming a Canadian MP, HongKongers will be far more relevant in Canada than in China’s HKSAR, in the coming years.

Tay has utilizied Canada’s McCarthyite atmosphere to keep attention on his candidacy. Western Standard News reported - on April 23, 2025, that:

“Conservative candidate Joe Tay has suspended public campaigning in Don Valley North after Canadian security officials warned of threats tied to a Chinese government repression campaign targeting him.”

Canada’s establishment – the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) task force, Canadian security officials and others – is doing their best to make sure Tay can get into parliament, by fuelling evidence-free claims of China interfering to damage Tay’s candidacy.

Chiang of the past, Yuen of the future?

Chiang’s potential overreach in his comments obscure the deeper ramification of the reactions towards Chiang (that dissent towards China policy will be punished more and more firmly in the future), which produced the ‘voluntary’ end to his political career as an MP.

If Yuen can’t hold his nerve, he’ll either be forced into the ritual ‘China bad’ statements the McCarthyite political elites in Canada want to hear, or resign the Liberal nomination as well.

If Yuen can hold his nerve, it will be fascinating to see how Canada’s political elites will attempt to persecute him – likely through the intelligence services and the mainstream media – if he wins his riding and becomes a sitting MP, and how he and the Chinese Canadian community may fight back against this.

Aidan Jonah is the Editor-in-Chief of The Canada Files, an independent news outlet covering Canadian foreign policy with a strong focus on Canada-China relations. Jonah wrote a report for the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council, held in September 2021.

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