Conservative MP questions if Chinese diplomats were expelled amid foreign election interference allegations

Conservative MP Luc Berthold questioned Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly during a Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs meeting on Thursday, asking how many Chinese diplomats had been expelled each year from 2018 to 2023 amid ongoing allegations of Chinese election interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Joly responded by saying if any diplomats violated the Vienna Convention or Canadian law, she would “never hesitate for a moment” to expel them, but did not say if any had been expelled. She also said they consider “reciprocity” and the impact decisions on Chinese diplomats in Canada could have on Canadian diplomats in China.