TORONTO – An Ontario cabinet minister is threatening the Globe and Mail with a lawsuit over stories it ran that said Canadian intelligence officials expressed concerns about him.
Lawyers for Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade Minister Michael Chan have sent the newspaper a notice of libel.
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The Globe ran stories in June that said Canada’s spy agency warned the Ontario government in 2010 that Chan had “unusually close ties to Chinese officials” and may have been susceptible to being influenced.
Chan called the allegation unfounded when the stories first ran.
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has backed Chan, saying there are no specific allegations and the concerns were baseless.
In a statement, Chan said the newspaper has refused to apologize or retract its story and he has no choice but to turn to the court, serving the libel notice on Tuesday.
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