During a 2015 visit to China, MP Han Dong was photographed wearing a red scarf, which is a symbol of the Young Pioneers, a youth organization under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The photo, released by the Chinese Consulate in Toronto, also featured former Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne. Both were photographed wearing the scarves alongside children at a Shanghai public school as part of an Ontario business delegation. At the time, Mr. Dong was a member of provincial parliament in Ms. Wynne’s Liberal government.
Due to widely publicized allegations of improper ties to Beijing, Mr. Dong resigned from the federal Liberal caucus in March to sit as an Independent. He has denied allegations of wrongdoing.
The Young Pioneers is for children aged 6 to 14, after which members may go on to join the Communist Youth League and later the CCP itself.
According to its charter, the Young Pioneers’ goal is to unite and educate children and youth and guide them to “listen to [obey] the Party, follow the Party,” to “love socialism, learn and practise core socialist values,” and ultimately “become successors dedicated to the cause of communism.”
Mr. Dong, born in Shanghai, reportedly moved to Toronto with his family at age 13. He did not respond to inquiries from The Epoch Times on whether he had joined the Young Pioneers as a child in China.
Allegations
Mr. Dong, who was elected as a Liberal MP in 2019, has faced increasing allegations of inappropriate ties to the Chinese Consulate in Toronto in recent months.
He resigned from the Liberal caucus March 22 to sit as an Independent MP following allegations made against him earlier that day in a Global News article.
Citing two national security sources, the article said the MP had advised the Chinese consul general in Toronto in 2021 that Beijing should delay releasing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. The two Canadians had by that time been detained in China for over two years in a case widely seen as retaliation against Canada for arresting Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on U.S. extradition charges in December 2018.
Mr. Dong denied the allegations and in April launched a $15 million defamation lawsuit against Global News and several journalists involved in the reporting.
The March article by Global followed a Feb. 24 article by the outlet making election-related allegations against Mr. Dong. The article cited national security officials identifying Mr. Dong as one of at least 11 Toronto-area riding candidates in the 2019 election allegedly receiving funding from Beijing. Mr. Dong has also rejected this allegation.
