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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 171

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 22, 2023 01:00PM
Context: House Hansard - 171 - Mar/22/23
Mr. Han Dong (Don Valley North, Lib.)
  • Mar/22/23 9:36:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have informed the Prime Minister and the leadership of the Liberal Party caucus that I will be sitting as an independent member at the conclusion of these remarks. Mr. Speaker, I am in your hands as to what happens next. To all my colleagues in Parliament, media reports today quoted unverified, anonymous sources that have attacked my reputation and called into question my loyalty to Canada. Let me be clear: What has been reported is false and I will defend myself against these absolutely untrue claims. Let me assure members that, as a parliamentarian and as a person, I have never advocated, and I will never and would never advocate or support the violation of the basic human rights of any Canadian or of anyone, anywhere, period. The accusations are false. My family came to Canada for freedom. I have had the privilege of being elected to the House, and believe I have served honourably. I pledge to continue to serve honourably and fulfill my oath of office. I will continue to serve the residents of Don Valley North as an independent member of the House. I am taking this extraordinary step because to sit in the government caucus is a privilege, and my presence there may be seen by some as a conflict of duty and the wrong place to be as independent investigations pursue the facts of this matter. I will be sitting as an independent member so that the business of government and, indeed, the business of Parliament, is not interrupted as I work to clear my name and the truth is presented to Parliament and to the Canadian people. I am a proud Liberal and I am proud of the work our government does, day in and day out, to serve the people of Canada. I also do not want to distract from that important work. Before concluding, I want to assure Mr. Michael Spavor and Mr. Michael Kovrig and their families that I did nothing to cause them any harm. Like everyone in the House, I worked hard and advocated for their interest, as a parliamentarian. The allegations made against me are as false as the ones made against them. I will continue to work on my constituents' behalf as their member of Parliament. I thank my staff. I know the days ahead will be difficult, but I will be there to support them as we continue to serve the people of Don Valley North. I love my family, in particular my parents, who brought us here to Canada; my wife, Sophie; and my kids. I love them. I thank them for all the support and love they give me. The truth will protect us. Our honour and our family will get through this together.
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Context: House Hansard - 171 - Mar/22/23
Mr. Daniel Blaikie (Elmwood—Transcona, NDP)
  • Mar/22/23 9:43:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I feel I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to acknowledge what has happened in the House with the member for Don Valley North. Obviously I am not in a position to speak to the veracity of the claims that have been made in the media, but I think this is an important reminder of the very real personal and professional impacts the debate we have been having on foreign interference in elections can have. It is an example of why it is important that we have a public inquiry, so we can have a proper airing of the kinds of accusations being made in the media, in many cases now by anonymous sources, and so that folks in the Chinese-Canadian community know that those claims are being considered by someone who has access to the full evidence and has the power to clear names where names should be cleared. That is why it is important that we have nothing short of a public inquiry. On the question that was posed, it is a good point that while it is a relatively small increase in some ways, that argument does not really pass muster because it is a big impact on the bottom lines of these smaller producers of beer, spirits and wines. At the end of the day, if it is not that big of an increase, which is what the government is saying, then it is not that big a loss for it to bypass it. We know that other government revenue has grown a fair bit because of inflation. This is not the place to do it. If the government wants other revenue, we know there are companies, such as Loblaws, frankly, that can afford to pay more in tax. The government should be looking at them, not smaller producers of beer, spirits and wine, to raise revenue.
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