Liberals seeking new candidate after Chiang resignation, Carney says

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Liberal Leader Mark Carney said the party is looking for a replacement for Paul Chiang, who announced he is stepping aside as the Liberal candidate in Markham-Unionville after outcry over his comment that people should take a Conservative rival to the local Chinese consulate to collect a bounty.

Mr. Carney had said on Monday before Mr. Chiang’s resignation that he would not be dropping the candidate, even though he described the comment in question as “deeply offensive.”

Mr. Chiang issued a statement on X late Monday announcing his departure from the campaign. The statement was released shortly after the RCMP said it was looking into the matter.

“For the past three-and-a-half years, it has been the greatest honour of my life to serve the people of Markham-Unionville as their Member of Parliament,” he wrote, adding that he served with integrity and is proud of what has been achieved.

“This is a uniquely important election with so much at stake for Canadians. As the Prime Minister and Team Canada work to stand up to President Trump and protect our economy, I do not want there to be distractions in this critical moment. That’s why I’m standing aside as our 2025 candidate in our community of Markham-Unionville.”

Also on Tuesday, the Conservatives dropped two candidates: Stefan Marquis, who was running in the Montreal riding of Laurier–Sainte-Marie, and Mark McKenzie, who was running in the southwest Ontario riding of Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore. Both were running in ridings with Liberal incumbents.

When asked Tuesday about Mr. Chiang’s decision to step aside, Mr. Carney kept his comments brief.

“Mr. Chiang offered his resignation last night. I accepted it. As I said yesterday, his comments were deeply, deeply troubling and regrettable. We will move on with looking for a new candidate for Markham,” he told reporters at a campaign announcement in Winnipeg.

Mr. Carney did not address the widespread criticism he has faced in recent days for not demanding Mr. Chiang’s resignation.

Mr. Carney’s initial remarks Monday did not tamp down calls for Mr. Chiang’s dismissal over his comment earlier this year about Joe Tay, now the Conservative candidate for Don Valley North.

In January, Mr. Chiang reportedly told a Chinese-language media conference that people should take Mr. Tay to the People’s Republic of China consulate in Toronto and collect the reward. At the time, Mr. Tay was running for the Conservative nomination in Markham-Unionville. Mr. Chiang has represented the riding since 2021.

“If anyone here can take him to the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto, you can get the million-dollar reward,” Mr. Chiang said, according to Ming Pao, a Chinese-language newspaper.

Mr. Tay and Mr. Chiang spoke late Sunday night, but Mr. Tay said in a statement that he rejects Mr. Chiang’s apology and he should be removed.

Mr. Tay was born in Hong Kong but immigrated to Canada as an adult.

In December, Hong Kong police announced a bounty of 1-million Hong Kong dollars – about $184,000 – for information leading to his arrest for allegedly violating a national-security law imposed on the former British colony by China. Mr. Tay runs a YouTube channel, HongKongerStation, that draws attention to continuing civil-rights violations in Hong Kong.

Separately on Monday, Hong Kong Watch, a group whose patrons include Chris Patten, the last governor of the former British territory, wrote to the RCMP asking the force to investigate whether Mr. Chiang’s comments were a violation of the Foreign Interference and Security of Information Act passed by Parliament last year.

In an e-mailed statement, RCMP spokesperson Andrew DiRienzo said the force was looking into the issue.

“Foreign actor interference, including instances of transnational repression, continues to be a pervasive threat in Canada. The RCMP takes all such reports and allegations seriously and – in close partnership with intelligence, law enforcement and regulatory agencies – dedicates significant resources to combatting and investigating criminal activity related to foreign interference in Canada’s democratic processes,” he said.

“The RCMP is looking into the matter, however no specific details can be provided at this time.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized Mr. Carney on Tuesday for not forcing Mr. Chiang to step down as soon as the comments were brought to his attention.

“The candidate stepped aside himself, not being pushed out by Carney, but because he decided on his own. Mr. Carney will never put the country first. He will always put himself first,” Mr. Poilievre told reporters during a campaign stop in St. John’s.

Two of Mr. Poilievre’s candidates were dropped by his party on Tuesday.

Mr. Marquis, who was running in downtown Montreal, wrote on X that a Quebec operations manager told him his posts were seen as a sufficient reason to end his political association with the Conservatives.

In recent postings, Mr. Marquis had touted the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the secretary of the U.S. health and human services department, praised Rebel News, denounced the booing of the American national anthem and reposted material that suggests Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was provoked by NATO expansion.

“The call lasted less than a minute. Consequently, I also requested that the party remove any and all public and internal communications linking me to it,” he wrote.

“Publish a non-vetted tweet on X and expect ostracization from your natural ally. This now appears to be the way of Canadian politics.”

Mr. McKenzie, a veteran broadcaster and Windsor city councillor, was also barred from running for the Conservatives on Tuesday, because of “clearly unacceptable” remarks, according to a statement from party spokesperson Sam Lilly.

Mr. McKenzie told The Globe that the party called him on Tuesday about a 2022 podcast where he joked about public hangings that might include then prime minister Justin Trudeau.

“Anyone who listened to the show knew we were kidding,” said Mr. McKenzie, adding that, looking back now, he recognizes the remarks were tasteless.

Mr. McKenzie said he may run as an independent or run for another party. “There are a lot of options out there.”

With a report from Stephanie Levitz in Ottawa