Ten Chinese diplomats left Toronto consulate, Canada following the 2021 general election: report

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick and Facebook/ Mélanie Joly

Amid demands for a public inquiry into election interference by China, more than a quarter of Chinese diplomats assigned to a Toronto consulate have left the country since the 2021 general election. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs updated figures Tuesday on accredited staff in a report Diplomatic, Consular And Other Representatives In Canada. It counted 28 Chinese diplomats in Toronto despite 38 accredited staff at the consulate in the last federal election.

Foreign Affairs could not explain the 26% reduction, reported Blacklock's Reporter.

On May 8, the House of Commons voted 170 to 150 to pass a Conservative motion demanding that cabinet "expel China diplomats responsible for and involved in affronts to Canadian democracy." 

That same day they expelled Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei for spearheading an 'intimidation campaign' against Conservative MP Michael Chong for criticizing China's treatment of Uyghur Muslims.

MPs have been advised that China assigned a suspiciously high number of diplomats (146) to Canada. "It does make me wonder," Charles Burton, a former Canadian envoy to China, testified on February 7 at the House Affairs Committee.

In contrast, Japan has 46 diplomats, India has 35, and the U.K. has 23. "It does make me wonder," said Burton.

Even the 28 accredited Chinese envoys remain large compared to 20 staff in the U.S. consulate, 12 Indians, and two British assigned to Toronto.

Following the expulsion of Wei, cabinet refused to accredit one other Beijing envoy confirmed to be a Chinese spy. "There was a visa that was not granted," Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly testified on March 9 at the House Affairs committee.

"When China wanted to send a political operative last fall, we decided to deny a visa which obviously is the right thing to do. These are the different actions that we have put into place."

Joly testified that the federal government has no issue with "sending diplomats packing very, very, very quickly" when presented with clear evidence of wrongdoing.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," she added.

Conservative MP Luc Berthold alleged, "A cover-up is underway." 

"It's all well and good to say, 'We're going to do X, Y and Z; we are going to be strong in the face of China,' but the facts speak for themselves," he said.