Ontario legislator serves libel notice against Global News over China allegations

Ontario PC MPP Vincent Ke says he is stepping down form caucus following allegations. (OLA)

An Ontario legislator says he has served Global News with a notice of libel over allegations of election interference by China.

Vincent Ke argues the Global News article by reporter Sam Cooper falsely accuses him of being deliberately harmful to Canadian democracy.

The article alleged Ke served as a financial intermediary in a Chinese Communist Party election interference scheme.

Ke alleges he has faced hateful and racist threats since the article's publication and that the allegations in the story have tarnished his reputation.

Ke resigned from the Progressive Conservative caucus after the allegations surfaced and is sitting as an Independent, but Premier Doug Ford has said Ke can return if his name is cleared.

Global News says it is governed by a rigorous set of journalistic principles and is mindful of the public interest and legal responsibility of what it calls "important accountability reporting."

Ford has said he is confident Ke's name will be cleared.

Ke, who represents Don Valley North in Toronto, was first elected in 2018 and re-elected last June.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2023.