Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer accused former Canadian ambassador to China John McCallum of inviting foreign interference in the upcoming federal election after McCallum said he warned Chinese officials to lay off future trade barriers because they could help the Conservatives win.
McCallum that he advised his former contacts in China鈥檚 ministry of foreign affairs that any more 鈥減unishments鈥� on Canadian exports could help the Tories win October鈥檚 election -- a win he said would not be in China鈥檚 best interests.
鈥淎nything that is more negative against Canada will help the Conservatives, [who] are much less friendly to China than the Liberals,鈥� McCallum told the newspaper on Monday.
Hours after the article was published, Scheer issued a statement slamming McCallum and calling his comments an 鈥渋nvitation of foreign interference in the Canadian election.鈥�
鈥淚 forcefully and unequivocally condemn recent comments by high-profile Liberals encouraging the Chinese government to help re-elect the government this October,鈥� Scheer said, describing the comments as 鈥渞eprehensible.鈥�
The Prime Minister鈥檚 Office ordered McCallum to hand in his resignation in January after he chimed in on the sensitive, high-stakes extradition case of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. McCallum told a Vancouver newspaper that it would be 鈥済reat for Canada鈥� if the U.S. dropped the extradition request.
Since Meng鈥檚 arrest in Vancouver last December, China has slapped several trade barriers on Canadian products including canola seeds and meat. Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were later detained in China, where they have been held for more than seven months on espionage charges that Canadian officials consider an illegitimate act of retaliation.
Scheer said McCallum鈥檚 latest comments demonstrate Trudeau鈥檚 鈥減oor judgement鈥� in picking him for the high-profile international post.
Before moving to Beijing, McCallum served as Trudeau鈥檚 minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship until 2017.
