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Prime Minister Mark Carney told a closed-door fundraiser crowd Monday night that floor-crossing MP Michael Ma represents “Liberal values,” after the former Conservative politician drew controversy over comments about forced labour in China.
In video obtained by Global News, Carney told the crowd at the GTA fundraiser that the Liberals were “glad” to welcome Ma to their ranks after the MP crossed from Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives in December.
“(Ma) joined, he said, because he was guided by the values of building up others, delivering results — he’s a results-oriented individual — and choosing the path that creates opportunities for Canadians,” Carney said.
“These are fundamental Liberal values, fundamental Canadian values and that’s why Michael Ma has found a home in our party.”
The $1,775 per ticket fundraiser was closed to the media and the public, but Global News obtained video from a source who was in the room. The material reviewed by Global includes extended speeches from both Carney and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson.
Ma was forced to apologize publicly last week after grilling a witness about forced labour in China at a House of Commons committee meeting on electric vehicles. The witness was suggesting that Chinese-made electric vehicles include parts produced by slave labour.
Ma demanded to know if Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a senior fellow at the University of Ottawa, had witnessed the practice with her own eyes.
“Have you witnessed forced labour in (the Chinese province of) Shenzhen? Have you witnessed forced labour? Just a short answer — have you witnessed forced labour in Shenzhen, yes or no?” Ma asked, suggesting the alternative was “hearsay.”
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Ma’s brusque remarks were initially misinterpreted by media outlets as referring to the western province of Xinjiang, which had been a major topic during the meeting. Human rights abuses against Xinjiang’s Uyghur Muslim population have been well-documented by international monitoring groups.
Several hours after his questions, Ma issued an apology and indicated he “inadvertently came across as dismissive of the serious issue of forced labour.”
“To be clear, my line of questioning referred to auto manufacturing in Shenzhen, China, and not in Xinjiang,” Ma’s statement read.
“I regret this mistake and apologize to Ms. McCuaig-Johnston and my fellow committee members.”
Ma added that he opposes forced labour “in all its forms.”
Earlier Monday, Carney was repeatedly asked by reporters about Ma’s comments.
“Mr. Ma has apologized for his comments, as he should have,” Carney said.
“He’s recognized the seriousness of the issue in that apology.”
Ma joined the Liberal caucus in December, one of three MPs to leave Poilievre’s Conservatives to join Carney’s team since November.
The Markham-Unionville MP accompanied Carney on his trade mission to Beijing in January, shortly after joining the Liberal caucus.
At Monday’s fundraiser, Carney boasted about his Liberal party attracting floor crossers like Ma not only from Poilievre’s Conservatives, but also from the federal New Democrats and the Ontario NDP.
“The Liberal party is a big tent, and it’s getting bigger,” Carney said in video reviewed by Global News.
Carney has put an emphasis on diversifying Canadian trade away from the United States under President Donald Trump, whose unprovoked tariff war has led to a year of chaos for Canadian businesses heavily dependent on American trade.
That includes thawing relations with China and other economically important but dubiously reliable partners. Canada-China affairs have been frosty in recent years, after Beijing detained Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor on national security grounds — largely perceived as retaliation after Ottawa arrested Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. warrant.
The prime minister’s January trip to Beijing was successful in reducing Chinese tariffs on Canadian canola and agricultural exports, and Carney agreed to let a limited number of Chinese electric vehicles into the Canadian market.
Carney was pressed on the Uyghurs’ situation at a press conference on Tuesday, and whether he believes — as the House of Commons unanimously agreed in 2021 — that it constitutes a “genocide.”
“There are serious issues that remain,” Carney said.
“That is why I’ve raised human rights issues with my Chinese counterparts in our engagements, and it’s why it’s essential in our dealings with China, in commercial dealings with China, that we have transparency in terms of where goods come from, the treatment of those workers, and that they fully meet our standards in terms of child labour, slave labour, human rights.”
Carney’s comments came as Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne departed for a five-day visit to China to meet with government and business leaders. Champagne’s office said the trip was an effort to “build strategic partnerships” and drum up investment “as part of Canada’s broader diversification imperative.”
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that Ma will be “moving forward” focusing on the government’s priorities, including addressing affordability issues, public safety and housing.
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