Liberal MP Shaun Chen’s announcement of his resignation from the House of Commons sparked online accusations of breaching House rules by voting on legislation while in China earlier this year. The allegations, circulated by various right-wing influencers and a few current and former Conservative MPs, are rooted in videos posted on WeChat showing Chen in China.
One post by independent journalist Andy Lee points out that Chen was seen enjoying ice cream in a video shared on March 25th in China, the same date he supposedly voted six times electronically in the House of Commons. Concerns were raised about the potential national security implications of Chen voting remotely while in China.
Conservative MP John Barlow also expressed concerns, suggesting that there are significant unanswered questions regarding Chen’s travel and voting activities. Barlow referred to the House of Commons standing orders, which explicitly prohibit MPs from voting while outside Canada.
While many online posts claimed Chen voted on Bill C-9, the government’s hate crime legislation, on March 25 while in China, there were doubts raised about the authenticity of the WeChat videos. However, House rules clearly state that MPs cannot participate in votes from outside the country, and electronic votes are restricted to within Canada.
House Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia’s office emphasized the presence of technical and human validation processes to ensure MPs are physically in Canada when casting their votes. Chen’s office clarified that he was in China from March 14 to March 22 and returned to Canada for the House of Commons session on March 23 after the spring recess.
Chen’s office provided evidence of his travel itinerary, including boarding pass and visa stamps, to refute claims of voting from outside Canada. They attributed his resignation to ongoing health issues affecting his ability to travel to Ottawa regularly.
Critics, including Lee, questioned Chen’s ability to travel to China but not to Ottawa due to health reasons. The trip to China was organized by the Hakka Canadian Association, chaired by Markham Coun. Joe Li, with high cybersecurity risk evaluations noted in emails between Chen and House of Commons IT staff.
The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner’s public disclosure confirmed details of Chen’s trip to China, sponsored by the Hakka Canadian Association for seven nights from March 14 to 22.
