Liberals stand by Han Dong’s nomination race, party’s national director tells inquiry

By The Canadian Press on April 2, 2024.

OTTAWA – The Liberal party’s national director says his party doesn’t feel nomination races are particularly vulnerable to foreign interference, despite irregularities identified in the nomination of 2019 Liberal candidate Han Dong.

Azam Ishmael, along with party officials with the Conservatives and New Democrats, is testifying at a public hearing of the federal inquiry into foreign interference.

Dong left the Liberal caucus in the wake of allegations that he willingly participated in Chinese meddling and won his seat with Beijing’s help in 2019.

He denies the claims.

The now-independent MP is set to appear this afternoon, when the commission expects to hear testimony about international students being bused in from Seneca College to vote for his nomination.

The Liberal official says he found the involvement of the school strange, but suggested that nomination rules and processes are generally effective at weeding out meddling attempts.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2024.

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