Re: [OT] Liberal MP proposes turning in his Conservative rival to China for a bounty

Rhino <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:

A Liberal MP made a very controversial statement recently that has him
in hot water, at least with the opposition, during the current federal
election.

Paul Chiang, a sitting Liberal MP running for re-election, wrote a
comment in Chinese media, that his Conservative opponent, Joe Tay, a
city councillor, should be turned in to the Chinese consulate in Toronto
for a bounty. Tay is originally from Hong Kong where he ran afoul of the
local authorities for his anti-Beijing activism.

https://vancouversun.com/news/federal_election/transnational-repression-jenny-kwan-weighs-in-on-liberal-mps-chinese-bounty-quip

Liberals are apparently insisting that Chiang's remark was just a joke
but the opposition parties, Conservative and NDP alike, are calling for
Chiang to step down and get replaced by another candidate. Mark Carney,
the new Liberal leader, has the power to dump candidates but is
resisting demands to dump Chiang.

Given the media's love of Liberals, I'm expecting this story to die
quickly. I was surprised to learn that Chiang was a cop for 28 years.

Ok. I'm a defender of the use of off-color jokes and bitter sarcasm in
public speech to make a point, and condemn those who infer racist or
hate speech, taking the remarks out of context.

If he were contrasting Canada as a free society with China, he could
have said that he'd be subject to arrest in China, but in Canada, he's
perfectly free to run against an incumbant.

But a bounty? I can't imagine a scenario in which that's funny. He needs
to apologize. What a jerk.