MP Han Dong has launched a libel suit against Global News seeking $15 million in damages after the media outlet published a series of articles alleging his participation in a foreign interference network backed by Beijing.
In an April 20 press release posted on Dong’s Twitter account, his lawyers accused Global News and a number of its journalists of publishing “malicious, false, and defamatory articles and broadcasts” about the MP in recent months, saying that the articles have destroyed his reputation while exposing Dong and his family to hateful messages and threats.
In a February new report, Global cited unnamed national security officials who alleged that Dong was among 11 Toronto-area candidates who received support from Beijing in the 2019 federal election, and that he was a “witting affiliate” of China’s election interference networks in Canada.
Global News later reported in March that Dong had reached out to Han Tao, Chinese consul-general in Toronto, in February 2021, suggesting that Beijing postpone the release of Michaels Kovrig and Michael Spavor, two Canadian citizens detained by the Chinese authorities in 2018, in the midst of the Huawei Meng Wanzhou case.
Following the report, Dong resigned from the Liberal caucus but denied the allegations against him.
The Epoch Times reached out to Corus Entertainment Inc. for comment but didn’t immediately hear back. Following Dong’s announcement to file a defamation lawsuit on March 27, the company defended Global News in a statement, saying that it is “governed by a rigorous set of Journalistic Principles and Practices.”
A statement of claim provided by Dong’s legal team accuses Global News and a number of its journalists of failing “to meet the standards of responsible journalism” in their reports about Dong, such as relying on anonymous sources for their report.
The statement of claim argues that the defendants didn’t verify their allegations of Dong’s communication with the Chinese consul-general in Toronto on the detention of the two Canadians against a transcript or recording of the conversation.
It also defended Dong’s interaction with the Chinese diplomat, saying that it was part of his office work to effectively represent the high proportion of Chinese-Canadian constituents in his riding in Don Valley North, where he now sits as an Independent MP.
Apart from seeking a total of $15 million in damages, Dong’s legal team also asked the court for an interlocutory and permanent injunction requiring the defendants to remove the stories and broadcasts.