Azam Ishmael, the Liberal Party’s national director, testified that he did not know whether Chinese Communist Party agents played a role in helping elect a Liberal MP in 2019. Blacklock's Reporter says his remarks came during an intense questioning session at the Commission on Foreign Interference, where Ishmael repeatedly stated, “I don’t know” when asked if foreign interference had impacted the election outcome.“I don’t know if they impacted the result of the election,” Ishmael said under oath, adding that while the Liberal Party is a target for foreign interference, he doesn’t believe it has been a victim of it. This was consistent with an earlier interview Ishmael had with Commission lawyers in which he stated that no foreign agents were operating within the Liberal Party, as outlined in an August 20 Interview Summary.During his testimony, Ishmael emphasized the Party’s strict vetting process for candidates, stating, “It’s looking for anything that would bring the Party’s reputation into disrepute.” However, he admitted that foreign interference would be difficult to detect: “If ever you had the thought it could be foreign interference, that would bring the Party’s reputation into disrepute. Therefore the vetting process would catch it.”Noel Chantler, counsel for the pro-democracy Chinese Canadian Concern Group, questioned Ishmael about the importance of thoroughly vetting candidates to prevent foreign interference. Ishmael agreed, stating that candidate vetting was crucial to maintaining public trust.The investigation is particularly focused on the 2019 nomination of Liberal MP Han Dong (Don Valley North, Ont.), who resigned from the Liberal caucus in 2023 following revelations of his frequent contact with the Chinese Embassy. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) had warned Liberal executives about suspicious activities, including the transportation of hundreds of foreign students to Dong’s nomination meeting, allegedly orchestrated by the Chinese Consulate.Ishmael acknowledged receiving CSIS warnings regarding irregularities in Don Valley North but refused to discuss specific details of the warnings. When questioned by Sujit Choudhry, counsel for NDP MP Jenny Kwan, Ishmael conceded, “I was briefed about a concern CSIS had.”Pressed further about the alleged interference, Ishmael reiterated his uncertainty: “Clandestine activity by its very nature would be clandestine... All I know is that he won.”Dong has denied any involvement in foreign interference. In his own testimony to the Commission, Dong claimed that his interactions with international students were routine campaign activities: “To me, it’s pretty regular.”When questioned by Gib van Ert, counsel for Conservative MP Michael Chong, about whether he believed China was attempting to interfere in Canadian democracy, Dong responded, “I personally haven’t seen any evidence of it.” When pressed further, he added, “It’s possible.”
