Poilievre slams PM Carney for keeping Liberal candidate who suggested Conservative be turned in for Chinese bounty

At a rally, Poilievre said: "I find it incredible that Mark Carney would allow someone to run for his party that called for a Canadian citizen to be handed over to a foreign government on a bounty ... What does that say about whether Mark Carney would protect Canadians?" Poilievre also noted that the Chinese dictatorship would "almost certainly" execute Jay if handed over for a bounty.

Chiang, running in Markham-Unionville, made the comment in January at a news conference in Chinese. He said if someone brought Tay, a Conservative candidate in Don Valley North, to the Chinese consulate in Toronto, they could claim a $1-million Hong Kong dollar bounty—worth about $183,000 Canadian. The statement was made in reference to Hong Kong’s national security law, which has led to charges against Tay for running a YouTube channel critical of Beijing, per the National Post.

Despite widespread criticism, Carney is standing by Chiang, calling it a “teachable moment.” He said Chiang had made a “terrible lapse in judgment” but praised his past work as a police officer and confirmed he “has my confidence.”

Carney said Chiang has apologized both publicly and privately to Tay and will remain in the race.

Joe Tay has made it clear he is not accepting Chiang’s apology. In his official statement, Tay called Chiang’s words “threatening public comments... intended to intimidate me.” He dismissed any notion of this being a simple mistake, stating: “No apology is sufficient.”

Tay also pointed out that this kind of intimidation is exactly how the Chinese Communist Party operates. He argued that bringing these tactics into Canadian politics is unacceptable and that Chiang must be removed from the race.

Poilievre has taken his criticism beyond Chiang, raising questions about Carney’s own connections to China. “Mark Carney is deeply conflicted. Just in November, he went to Beijing and secured a quarter-billion dollar loan from a state-owned Chinese bank. He’s deeply compromised. He will never stand up for Canada against any foreign regime.”

The Conservative leader has also pointed to Carney’s October 2024 meetings with Chinese central bank officials. During these meetings, Carney, who was serving as an economic adviser to then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, helped secure a 1.96 billion yuan ($276 million CAD) loan for Brookfield Asset Management, a company Carney chairs.

Poilievre accused Carney of using his government connections for private business dealings, saying: “What did they talk about? What did Mr. Carney, in his role as Trudeau’s economic adviser, offer to China? Why would he be having secret meetings with top government-controlled bankers about getting a quarter-billion dollar loan while he was supposed to be acting in Canada's interest?”

The Liberals, under their new leader, continue to face mounting pressure to drop Chiang, but Carney has refused.