Liberal Paul Chiang ‘standing aside’ after comments Mark Carney called ‘deeply offensive’

The RCMP is investigating Chinese bounty remarks made by Paul Chiang on Conservative candidate Joe Tay. CTV News' Colton Praill reports.

Liberal incumbent Paul Chiang will not be running in the ongoing federal election after suggesting earlier this year that people should try to claim a Chinese bounty on a Conservative candidate.

In a statement posted to X late Monday night, Chiang called the federal election “uniquely important,” saying he does “not want there to be distractions in this critical moment.”

“That’s why I’m standing aside as our 2025 candidate in our community of Markham-Unionville,” he wrote.

Chiang’s decision not to run comes just hours after Liberal Leader Mark Carney repeatedly defended him on Monday after facing questions from reporters at a housing announcement in Vaughan, Ont.

“The comments were deeply offensive. This is a terrible lapse of judgment by Mr. Chiang. He has apologized for those comments,” Carney said, later calling Chiang a “person of integrity who served this community as a senior police officer for more than a quarter century.”

On Tuesday, Carney said the party is moving on to find a new candidate for the riding, but didn’t elaborate when asked whether the issue was a “teachable moment” or why he chose to stand by Chiang.

“Mr. Chiang made his resignation, offered his resignation last night. I accepted it, as I said yesterday, his comments were deeply, deeply troubling and regrettable,” Carney said following a factory tour in Winnipeg.

In an interview with Chinese-language media last January, Chiang suggested that Conservative rival Joe Tay should be turned over to the Chinese Consulate in Toronto. Last year, Hong Kong police offered a HK$1-million reward for information leading to the arrest of Tay for violations of the National Security Law.

Tay has been an outspoken critic of Hong Kong’s violations of civil rights. Politicians of all stripes condemned the bounty when it was first announced in December 2024.

Earlier on Monday, Tay released a statement saying “Mark Carney must fire Paul Chiang” and that “no apology is sufficient.”

“Suggesting that people collect a bounty from the Chinese Communist Party to deliver a political opponent to the Chinese Consulate is disgusting and must never be condoned,” Tay wrote.

In an email statement to CTV News, RCMP spokesperson Andrew DiRienzo said the national police service is looking into the case, but there is currently no formal investigation underway.

“The RCMP is looking into the matter, however no specific details can be provided at this time,” DiRienzo wrote. “If there are criminal or illegal activities occurring in Canada that are found to be backed by a foreign state, it is within the RCMP’s mandate to investigate this activity.”

“To ensure the integrity of our investigations, the RCMP typically does not disclose information relating to investigations unless criminal charges are laid, rendering it a matter of public record,” DiRienzo added.

On Friday, Chiang called his comments “deplorable” and “a complete lapse of judgment on the seriousness of the matter.”

“As a former police officer, I should have known better,” Chiang said in the post. “I sincerely apologize and deeply regret my comments.”

Prior to Chiang’s decision to step aside, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called Carney “compromised” and “unwilling to protect a Canadian citizen against a foreign government,” while NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh accused him of “putting his party ahead of his country.”

Human rights group Hong Kong Watch issued an open letter on Monday calling for the RCMP to investigate Chiang.

“We believe that Mr. Chiang’s comments may cross into criminality, and must be investigated by Canadian law enforcement authorities,” the group wrote.

Chiang first spoke in an interview with Ming Pao News in January, but his comments did not surface in English media until the Toronto Association for Democracy in China flagged it to reporters on the campaign trail.

Chiang, a former officer with York Regional Police, was first elected to the House of Commons in 2021. He was the parliamentary secretary to the minister of diversity and inclusion in former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government.

Of 343 seats, the Liberals say they have nominated candidates for about 300 ridings. The deadline to declare is April 7.

With files from CTV News’ Judy Trinh