Ontario minister refutes "security threat" allegations in Canadian media

Michael Chan, veteran Ontario provincial minister of Canada, Wednesday issued an open letter slamming reports alleging that he could be "under the influence of a foreign government" due to his "close relationship with the Chinese government officials."

Canada's leading national daily, the Globe and Mail, first reported on its front page on Tuesday that China-born Chan, 64, a first-generation immigrant from Hong Kong in 1969, was the subject of an investigation by Canada's national spy agency Canadian Security Intelligence Service in 2010.

In his open letter, Chan described the Globe and Mail's reports as "a blend of innuendo and half suggestions."

He pointed out that "no specific allegations" were presented in the articles, but "provocative words like treason and espionage are used for no reason."

"There is a persistent theme that there is a perceived risk that I am under undue influence and that I am an unwitting dupe of a foreign government. This is totally untrue," he said, adding "this personal attack is deeply offensive to me and to my family."

Commenting on the news stories, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne twice defended Chan, a senior minister in charge of citizenship, immigration and international trade in her cabinet, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

She said that Chan "has served with honor in the Ontario government."

She also credited Chan for organizing a highly successful trade mission she led to China last fall and praised him for being instrumental in attracting to his home province close to 1 billion Canadian dollars (817 million U.S. dollars) in new investment by Chinese corporations, creating 1,800 new jobs.

On the stories in the Globe and Mail and some other media, Wynne said "this is something that was made public in 2010 and the concerns were deemed to be baseless." Endi