Markham-Unionville Liberal candidate Paul Chiang says he’s stepping aside in the federal election following his comments that a political opponent should be turned over to Chinese officials in return for a bounty, as the RCMP confirmed Monday evening they’re looking into the matter.

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The Liberal incumbent made the remarks about Conservative candidate Joe Tay three months ago at a press conference with Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao.

The Toronto Association for Democracy in China said in a news release that Chiang said everyone at the event could claim a bounty “if you bring (Tay) to Toronto’s Chinese consulate.”

The RCMP said in an email that it’s “looking into the matter, however no specific details can be provided at this time.”

“If there are criminal or illegal activities occurring in Canada that are found to be backed by a foreign state, it is within the RCMP’s mandate to investigate this activity,” the statement read.

The RCMP said foreign actor interference, including instances of transnational repression, “continues to be a pervasive threat in Canada.”

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