Liberal Member of Parliament Shaun Chen faced accusations online for allegedly violating House rules by participating in legislative voting while in China earlier this year. The claims were fueled by right-wing influencers and a few current and former Conservative MPs, who pointed to videos on WeChat showing Chen in China on the same day he supposedly voted in the House of Commons.

Independent journalist Andy Lee highlighted the juxtaposition of a video showing Chen in China enjoying ice cream on March 25th and records indicating he voted electronically in Parliament six times on the same day. Concerns were raised about the potential breach of national security if Chen indeed voted from China.

Conservative MP John Barlow echoed these concerns, emphasizing the gravity of the situation and demanding clarity. Referring to the House of Commons standing orders, Barlow reiterated the prohibition on MPs voting while outside of Canada.

Specifically, the House rules mandate that MPs must be physically present in Canada to cast electronic votes, with visual confirmation of their identity through facial recognition technology. The Speaker’s office affirmed the presence of technical and human validation measures to ensure compliance with these regulations.

Chen’s office clarified that he was in China from March 14 to March 22, returning to Canada for parliamentary duties on March 23. Supporting this timeline, his boarding pass and passport visa stamps corroborated his travel dates. The office emphasized that Chen did not vote from China, attributing his resignation to health issues affecting his ability to travel to Ottawa regularly.

Questions arose regarding Chen’s ability to travel to China despite his health challenges preventing frequent trips to Ottawa. The trip to China was organized by the Hakka Canadian Association for official parliamentary business, endorsed by emails exchanged between Chen and House of Commons IT staff. The trip details were also disclosed publicly by the Office of Canada’s Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.