Carney standing by candidate Paul Chiang, who suggested Conservative be turned over to China for bounty

Liberal Leader Mark Carney says Paul Chiang volition stay a campaigner nether his party's banner, contempt calls to drop the Markham-Unionville incumbent for suggesting radical crook successful a Conservative campaigner to the Chinese consulate and cod a bounty.

"I presumption this arsenic a teachable moment," Carney said during a run halt successful Vaughan, Ont., Monday. 

Carney is facing outer unit to driblet Chiang aft helium told a Chinese-language media quality league successful January that radical could currency successful if they turned Joe Tay successful to the Chinese consulate successful Toronto. Tay is running for the Conservatives successful the suburban Toronto battleground riding of Don Valley North. 

In December, Hong Kong constabulary issued a bounty and apprehension warrant for Tay — worthy $1 cardinal HK, astir $184,000 — and different China ideology advocates. Tay is simply a co-founder of Canada-based NGO HongKonger Station and runs a YouTube transmission that promotes ideology and escaped speech.

WATCH | Carney says Chiang staying connected arsenic Liberal campaigner successful Markham-Unionville: 

The warrants are mostly seen arsenic a mode for authorities successful Beijing-controlled Hong Kong to people vocal critics based abroad. At the time, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly denounced the bounties. 

Carney called the comments "deeply offensive," but defended Chiang as a veteran constabulary serviceman with "more than a quarter-century of work to his community."

"This is simply a idiosyncratic of integrity," Carney said. "It's besides an idiosyncratic who has household successful Hong Kong. He's nether nary illusions astir the concern there, the concern of broader China."

Tay has spoken out, calling the comments "insidious" and saying helium present fears for his safety.

"His threatening nationalist comments were intended to intimidate me, and they indispensable not beryllium tolerated," Tay said in a connection Monday.

"They are intended to nonstop a chilling awesome to the full assemblage successful bid to unit compliance to Beijing's governmental goals."

Tay said adjacent earlier Chiang's comments, helium had been successful interaction with the RCMP astir idiosyncratic protection.

"Suggesting that radical cod a bounty from the Chinese Communist Party to present a governmental hostile to the Chinese Consulate is disgusting and indispensable ne'er beryllium condoned," helium wrote. 

Chiang's apology rejected 

Chiang issued an apology Friday, saying his comments "were deplorable and a implicit lapse of judgement connected the seriousness of the matter."

Carney faced aggregate questions from reporters astir Chiang during his Monday greeting lodging announcement. He said Chiang has apologized straight to Tay.

"He volition proceed with his candidacy, going forward, having made those apologies precise intelligibly to the individual, to the assemblage and moving guardant to serve," said Carney.

However, Tay characterized it arsenic an "unsolicited effort to interaction me."

"I privation to beryllium clear: No apology is sufficient," said Tay. 

Gloria Fung, caput of the assemblage radical Canada Hong Kong Link, said she was "absolutely appalled" to perceive Carney's defence Monday morning.

"He has sent retired the incorrect connection to Canadians that his enactment is not serious astir the menace of transnational repression and predetermination interference from a hostile overseas authorities subordinate connected Canadian soil," she told CBC News.

"It volition besides beryllium sending a greenish airy to overseas authorities players that they tin proceed with high-yield, low-cost transnational repression and foreign interference without immoderate consequence. I can't judge what I heard this morning."

WATCH | Poilievre says Liberal MP indispensable beryllium disqualified pursuing China bounty comments: 

Fung's radical is 1 of 40 diaspora organizations calling on Carney to revoke Chiang's candidacy. 

"The comments were wide seen arsenic legitimizing overseas interference and perchance threatening Tay's safety," wrote a conjugation of Canadian Hong Kong groups successful a connection Sunday. 

"They accent that intimidation oregon threats against governmental candidates volition not beryllium tolerated and reaffirm Canada's committedness to protecting its antiauthoritarian processes from overseas interference."

Poilievre, Singh react

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said the comments spell beyond being inappropriate oregon an off-colour joke.

"Joe Tay is highly afraid. He's acrophobic for his life," Poilievre said during a halt successful Saint John, N.B. 

"These comments by this Liberal campaigner whitethorn good emergence to the level of transgression due to the fact that they called for idiosyncratic to beryllium turned implicit to a hostile overseas authorities connected a bounty, a authorities that wants to termination this Canadian citizen."

Another group, Hong Kong Watch, wrote to the RCMP Monday calling for an probe into Chiang's conduct.

In an unfastened missive to Commissioner Mike Duheme, the radical suggested Chiang's comments mightiness acceptable the Criminal Code explanation of "counselling to perpetrate the indictable offence of kidnapping." The radical besides pointed to a proviso of caller overseas interference bill which makes it an offence to intimidate oregon endanger a person "for the payment of oregon successful relation with a overseas entity."

"It is without question that Mr. Chiang's comments are an effort to intimidate Mr. Tay and his supporters and to soundlessness him during an election," wrote Ed Simpson, interim manager of Hong Kong Watch.

"It is without question that determination are implicit threats of unit and an illegitimate reward successful the signifier of a bounty."

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Chiang's comments would beryllium disturbing for the galore Canadians who person fled repressive regimes and inactive unrecorded successful fear. As the overseas interference inquiry heard, Beijing is known to harass and intimidate members of the Chinese diaspora to asseverate power and suppress dissident views.

"For Mark Carney to accidental I'm going to judge his campaigner truly sends a connection that that benignant of commentary yet is acceptable," Singh said.

"Ultimately saying that for the folks retired determination who are afraid, the folks surviving with changeless fear, 'You cognize what, you're little important to me, what's much important to maine is my party.'"

WATCH | Singh reacts to Carney's assurance successful Liberal campaigner nether occurrence for China bounty comment: 

A spokesperson for the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force, the assemblage acceptable up to show overseas interference during elections and enactment contests, said the comments don't autumn nether its mandate. SITE is made up of the RCMP, the Communications Security Establishment, Canadian Security Intelligence Service and Global Affairs Canada.

The task unit reports to what's called the "panel of five," which is made up elder authorities officials who determine whether to spell nationalist with a informing to Canadians astir imaginable predetermination interference.

"The bounty against the different idiosyncratic is an illustration of transnational repression," said Laurie-Anne Kempton with the Privy Council Office during a briefing Monday.

"SITE is acrophobic astir the bounty placed by Hong Kong connected Mr. Tay."