Liberal candidate Paul Chiang withdraws from race after suggesting people claim China's bounty on Conservative

Embattled Toronto-area Liberal campaigner Paul Chiang is dropping retired of the contention conscionable hours aft the RCMP told CBC News it's looking into whether helium broke the instrumentality by suggesting radical crook a Conservative candidate running successful a adjacent riding into the Chinese consulate to cod a bounty.

"As the premier curate and Team Canada enactment to basal up to President [Donald] Trump and support our economy, I bash not privation determination to beryllium distractions successful this captious moment," Chiang wrote conscionable earlier midnight connected Monday successful a connection posted to societal media tract X.

"That's wherefore I'm lasting speech arsenic our 2025 campaigner successful our assemblage of Markham-Unionville."

It comes aft Liberal Leader Mark Carney said connected Monday that Chiang could enactment connected aft apologizing for his "deeply violative comments" and "terrible lapse of judgment."

Pressure mounted from absorption parties and much than 40 organizations demanding Carney instantly driblet Chiang and for police to investigate.

Chiang, a erstwhile constabulary officer, called his ain comments "deplorable" aft quality broke that helium suggested to Chinese-language media astatine a quality league successful January that people could hand over Tay to the Chinese consulate for a reward offered by constabulary successful Hong Kong.

Tay was seeking the party's information successful Chiang's riding astatine that time, and is present moving successful Don Valley North. In December, Hong Kong constabulary released an apprehension warrant and bounty for Tay worthy much than $180,000. The Liberal authorities denounced these types of warrants past twelvemonth arsenic an effort to intimidate critics abroad.

Tay runs a YouTube transmission that promotes ideology and escaped speech, and is the co-founder of Canada-based NGO HongKonger Station.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Monday Tay is "afraid for his life."

Tay besides spoke retired online, saying helium didn't judge Chiang's apology and that helium had been successful interaction with the RCMP astir idiosyncratic protection.

Carney defended Chiang arsenic 'person of integrity'

Hong Kong Watch, an NGO focused connected quality rights issues, wrote a missive to the RCMP Commissioner connected Monday calling for a constabulary probe to spot whether Chiang helium broke the law.

Activist Gloria Fung besides said she wanted the constabulary to find retired whether Chiang's behaviour has violated immoderate provisions progressive with overseas interference laws.

Chiang won his riding successful 2021 and said he's served his assemblage with his "fullest committedness to keeping radical harmless and protecting our country's values."

"Every azygous day, I served with integrity and worked to present results for the radical of my community," Chiang wrote connected X.

CBC News asked Carney's run for a remark and has not yet received a response. Earlier successful the day, the Liberal person defended Chiang arsenic a "person of integrity" who is simply a long-time erstwhile constabulary serviceman with "more than a quarter-century of work to his community."