Ottawa has raised concerns with Chinese and Hong Kong authorities over the targeting of Conservative candidate and Hong Kong pro-democracy advocate Joe Tay, and says it is monitoring the situation closely after Tay’s relatives were taken in for questioning last week.
Global Affairs Canada called the imposition of a bounty on Tay “unacceptable,” and said that issuing “threats and intimidation” against a Canadian citizen amounts to transnational repression, adding it “will not be tolerated.”
“Canada has raised its strong concerns directly with both Chinese and Hong Kong authorities,” Global Affairs spokesperson Clémence Grevey told The Epoch Times in a May 13 statement.
“We deplore the decision by Hong Kong authorities to punish people for actions that amount to nothing more than freedom of expression.”
Tay is the founder of pro-democracy platform HongKonger Station.
Tay has not responded to a previous request for comment.
When asked what steps are being taken to ensure Tay’s safety in Canada, the RCMP said it cannot disclose information about the people it protects or related measures taken, citing the need to safeguard the integrity of operations. An RCMP spokesperson highlighted that there are support mechanisms for all people living in Canada who experience “potential foreign interference or state-backed harassment and intimidation.”
“The RCMP takes threats to the security of individuals living in Canada very seriously and is aware that foreign states may seek to intimidate or harm communities or individuals within Canada,” RCMP spokesperson Marie-Eve Breton told The Epoch Times in a statement.
“It is gravely wrong. It is an act of brazen interference,” Genuis said in an interview with The Epoch Times.
“It’s also consistent with a pattern that we’ve seen from the Chinese Communist Party, which is to try to interfere in our democracy, in our affairs, through whatever means they can.”
Federal Election
Tay’s case made the headlines in March after reports emerged that then-incumbent Liberal candidate Paul Chiang, during a January press conference with ethnic media, had suggested that Tay, his Conservative rival at the time, be handed over to the Chinese consulate in Toronto to collect the bounty placed on him.“And they are not just aimed at me. They are intended to send a chilling signal to the entire community in order to force compliance with Beijing’s political goals.”
Tay’s case once again drew national attention when Canadian intelligence officials, just days before the federal election, warned of a Beijing-linked transnational repression operation targeting Tay.
The operation, officials said, involved the “inauthentic and coordinated” amplification of content related to his arrest warrant and bounty, as well as content related to his ability to run for elected office.