Liberal MP Shaun Chen’s announcement of his resignation from the House of Commons sparked online accusations of violating House rules by casting votes while in China earlier this year. The allegations, circulated by conservative influencers and some current and former Conservative MPs, are based on video timestamps on WeChat showing Chen in China.
One post by independent journalist Andy Lee highlighted a video of Chen enjoying ice cream in China on March 25, the same day electronic voting records show him voting six times in the House of Commons. Concerns were raised about potential national security breaches if Chen voted remotely from China. Conservative MP John Barlow echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the need for answers regarding Chen’s travel and citing House rules prohibiting MPs from voting outside of Canada.
The claims suggested that Chen participated in voting on Bill C-9, a contentious hate crime legislation, while in China. While Lee acknowledged the possibility of post-trip video editing, he stressed the legitimacy of questioning Chen’s voting location.
House of Commons regulations prohibit MPs from voting while abroad, stipulating that electronic votes must be cast within Canada. The rules also require visual confirmation of a member’s identity through facial recognition technology. The Speaker’s office confirmed the presence of technical safeguards and validation processes to ensure MPs are physically in Canada when voting.
Chen’s office clarified that he returned to Canada on March 23 after being in China from March 14 to March 22. Supporting documentation, including a boarding pass and visa stamps, corroborated his travel dates. Denying allegations of voting from outside Canada, Chen attributed his resignation to health issues affecting his ability to travel to Ottawa regularly.
Critics, including Lee, questioned Chen’s travel to China amid health concerns preventing frequent trips to Ottawa. The trip, organized by the Hakka Canadian Association, aimed to foster relationships within the Hakka ethnic community in Canada. Chen’s correspondence with House IT staff regarding cybersecurity during the trip was shared, along with a public disclosure by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner detailing the sponsored journey’s specifics.
