'Persona non grata:' Canada expelling Chinese diplomat after threats to Tory MP

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly makes an address at the 2023 Liberal National Convention in Ottawa, on Thursday, May 4, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

The Liberal government is expelling Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei, whom Canada's spy agency alleged was involved in a plot to intimidate Conservative MP Michael Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says in a statement that Canada has declared the Toronto-based diplomat as persona non grata, over what she calls "foreign interference in our internal affairs."

Joly, who warned last week that Beijing would retaliate if Ottawa did expel diplomats, says the decision followed "careful consideration of all factors at play."

She says that "defending our democracy is of the utmost importance," after saying China could threaten the safety of Canadians and the prosperity of the country.

The federal government has confirmed a report in the Globe and Mail that CSIS had information in 2021 that the Chinese government was looking at ways to intimidate Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong over his criticism of Beijing's human-rights record.

China has insisted it does not interfere in other countries' internal affairs, but says it will respond to what it calls provocations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 8, 2023.