Juno News - March 23, 2023


Han Dong resigns from Liberals after allegations he advised China to delay release of two Michaels


Episode Stats

Length

4 minutes

Words per Minute

110.8838

Word Count

542

Sentence Count

38


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 I rise on a point of order. I have informed the Prime Minister and the leadership of the Liberal Party Caucus that I will be sitting as an independent at the conclusion of these remarks.
00:00:12.480 Mr. Speaker, I am in your hands as to what happens next.
00:00:16.200 To all my colleagues in the Parliament, media reports today quoted unverified and anonymous sources have attacked my reputation and called into question my loyalty to Canada.
00:00:30.000 Let me be clear. What has been reported is false, and I will defend myself against these absolutely untrue claims.
00:00:42.820 But let me assure you, as a Parliamentarian and as a person, I have never and I will never and would never advocate or support the violation of the basic human rights of any Canadian, of anyone, anywhere, period.
00:01:07.880 The accusations are false. My family came to Canada for freedom.
00:01:14.580 I have had the privilege of being elected to this House, and I believe I have served honourably and pledged to continue to serve honourably and fulfil my oath of office.
00:01:25.820 I will continue to serve the residents of Down Valley North as an independent member of this House.
00:01:33.640 I am taking this extraordinary step because to sit in the Government Caucus is a privilege,
00:01:41.900 and my presence there may be seen by some as a conflict of duty and the wrong place to be as an independent investigation pursues the facts in this matter.
00:01:56.360 I will be sitting as an independent so that the business of government and indeed the business of Parliament is not interrupted as I work to clear my name and the truth is presented to Parliament and to Canadian people.
00:02:12.140 I am a proud Liberal, and I am proud of the work our government does day in and day out to serve the people of Canada.
00:02:25.140 I also don't want to distract from that important work.
00:02:32.140 Before concluding, I want to assure Mr. Michael Spavart and Mr. Michael Culvert and their families that I did nothing to cause them any harm.
00:02:46.140 Like everyone in this House, I worked hard and advocated for their interests as a Parliamentarian.
00:02:55.140 The allegations made against me are as false as the ones made against you.
00:03:01.140 To my constituents, I will continue to work on your behalf as your Member of Parliament.
00:03:08.140 To my staff, I thank you.
00:03:11.140 I know the days ahead will be difficult, but I will be there to support you as we continue to serve the people of Dalmali North.
00:03:20.140 To my family, and in particular, my parents who brought us here to Canada.
00:03:36.140 To my wife, Sophie, and my kids, I love you.
00:03:41.140 I thank you for all the support and love you gave me.
00:03:45.140 The truth will protect us.
00:03:47.140 Our honor and our family will get through this together.
00:03:52.140 Sorry about that. Thank you, Speaker.
00:03:55.140 I want to thank the Member for his statement to assure him that the House will be making the appropriate changes to the seating plan.
00:04:16.140 We'll take a quick breather here for a few moments before we go back to queues and comments.
00:04:25.140 Thank you, Senator.
00:04:38.140 We hope to get a muy curtis report.
00:04:40.140 Thank you.
00:04:45.140 Thank you very much.
00:04:49.140 Many of the Highس Forbidden Press