Toronto Independent MP Vuong ‘Open’ to Joining Tories

Independent MP Kevin Vuong rises during question period, March 23, 2022, in Ottawa. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Independent Toronto MP Kevin Vuong, who was expelled from the Liberal Party during the last federal election, says he is open to joining the Conservative Party if he is asked.

“If that’s something they want to pursue, listen, like I said, I’m open to it,” he said in an interview with True North on “The Andrew Lawton Show.”

“It’s not just up to me, I think it’s up to the party brass and the leadership, as well, to find a fit and a path,” he added.

Mr. Vuong, elected in 2021 as an independent after a sexual assault charge against him was withdrawn, said he has had informal conversations with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to express his willingness to work together.

Identifying as centrist, Mr. Vuong has criticized the Liberals for their carbon tax policy and for not sufficiently criticizing acts of anti-Semitism during pro-Hamas demonstrations in Canada. He has also supported some key Liberal votes, including the invocation of the Emergencies Act during the 2022 Freedom Convoy protest.

He expressed regret over some of his previous decisions with the benefit of hindsight, noting a lot has changed since 2021 when he initially supported the carbon tax.

“You need to be adaptable; you need to be able to change your policies, they can’t just be written in stone… since those two years at the time of when we had that question, food inflation was the highest as it’s ever been in 40 years,” he said.

Stance on Anti-Semitism

Mr. Vuong has been a harsh critic of the recent rise in anti-Semitism in Canada and emphasized that the war between Israel and Hamas has made it “very easy for Canadians to see who shares their values.”

“Here in the city of Toronto, where we have 25 members of Parliament, 25 MPPs, and 25 city councillors, including the mayor, I can probably count on one hand … how many people of the 76 have spoken out against anti-Semitism,” he said.

Emergencies Act

Mr. Vuong addressed the Commons in February of 2022, supporting the Emergencies Act.

“What is being done with the temporary, targeted use of certain provisions of the Emergencies Act is to restore peace, order and good government through legitimate and constitutional measures,” he said at the time.

Knowing what he knows now, he would not have supported it, he said in a Jan. 23 post on X (formerly Twitter).

“With the benefit of hindsight and seeing how it was abused, I don’t think I would [support using the act],” he said, responding to a question on X from Mr. Lawton.

Political Journey

Mr. Vuong said his political journey began when he ran as a Liberal candidate for Spadina—Fort York in 2021 after the incumbent Liberal MP representing the area Adam Vaughan decided to retire from politics. Mr. Vuong secured his candidacy just over a month before the election.

His campaign faced turmoil when The Toronto Star reported on a 2019 sexual assault charge against him, which was later withdrawn. Mr. Vuong denies the allegation. Despite this setback and being dropped by the Liberals for not having disclosed the withdrawn charge, Mr. Vuong won his election bid, albeit as an Independent due to the ballots already being printed.

Mr. Vuong, whose parents are ethnic Chinese refugees from Vietnam, has served in the Canadian Armed Forces Naval Reserve since 2015. He has suggested that the sexual assault allegation against him could have been a “honey trap” related to his opposition to China’s communist regime.

The Conservatives were contacted for comment by The Epoch Times but did not respond before press time.