About 200 people packed the office of Liberal candidate Joe Peschisolido Tuesday evening to hear Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau give a quick speech and energize his supporters.
Trudeau said the Liberals will make the most significant infrastructure investment in Canada’s history.
“That means we’ll help Richmond invest in an expanded Canada Line and new train cars to ease congestion and make your commute easier,” said Trudeau.
He left before taking questions from the media.
Meanwhile, outside the office a handful of people protested in support of former nominee Wendy Yuan, who was ousted by the Liberals for misrepresenting a university degree on her resume.
Yuan, who had run as a candidate for the Liberals twice before without any problem, accused former Richmond MP Raymond Chan of interfering in the open nomination process, calling him a “kingmaker” due to his fundraising in the Chinese community.
Yuan and her supporters have appealed to Trudeau to address the issue, which divided the Liberals’ Steveston Richmond-East riding association and led to a mass resignation of its executive.
Yuan supporters believe her bid was rejected after she raised concerns about internal party fundraising.
On Tuesday, the South China Morning Post published photos of Trudeau flanked by Chan and Michael Ching Mo Yeung at a well-attended 2013 Trudeau fundraiser.
Ching is the son of a excommunicated Communist Party official, and is wanted by Interpol and China on grafting charges.
Ching's charges have not been proven in any court of law. He is seeking refugee status and was granted a new application in July after initially being denied by the federal Refugee Protection Division (a federal court ruled the initial decision was not reasonable).
Ching donated money to the Liberals as his teenage daughter Linda Ching, now a university student, rose to prominence as the president of the B.C. Young Liberals of Canada (her tenure has since ended).
Chan said he is “good friends” with Ching, but has not seen him in "a long time."
On Tuesday the News asked Chan how and why Ching was so close to Trudeau at the fundraiser.
Chan said, “It was because of his daughter. His daughter worked very hard, she is a bright star,” before adding, “A lot of people sit next to Trudeau all the time,” he added.
“Michael Ching knows every politician in town,” said Chan, adding that Ching was active in the Richmond community.
On Thursday afternoon Olivier Duchesneau, spokesperson for the Liberals, issued the following statement after the Conservative Party called on Elections Canada to investigate Ching's connections to the Liberals:
"I can confirm that all event referenced in the SCMP were official Liberal Party of Canada events. All contributions made to the Liberal Party of Canada by individuals attending these events were made, processed, and reported in accordance with the Canada Elections Act.
Michael Ching has never had any official role in the structure of the Liberal Party of Canada. Mr. Ching has donated to the Liberal Party of Canada, as well as the Conservative Party, and has attended a few Liberal events. We looked into all matters referenced in the SCMP story and are confident that all Elections Canada rules were always respected. Mr. Trudeau as no relationship with Mr. Ching."
Duchesneau noted the Liberals have had a better vetting process this election than before, which explains Yuan's dismissal from the nomination process.
