premier Mark Carney told a closed-door fundraiser Monday night that the cross-floor MP Michael Ma represents “liberal values”, after the former Conservative politician attracted controversy over comments about forced labor in China.
In video obtained by Global News, Carney told the crowd at the GTA fundraiser that the Liberals were “happy” to welcome Ma into their ranks after the MP defected from Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives in December.
“(Ma) joined, he said, because he was driven by the values of building others up, delivering results — he’s a results-oriented individual — and choosing the path that creates opportunity for Canadians,” Carney said.
“These are core Liberal values, core Canadian values, and that’s why Michael Ma has found a home in our party.”
The $1,775-a-ticket fundraiser was closed to the media and public, but Global News obtained video from a source who was in the room. The material reviewed by Global includes extended speeches from both Carney and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson.
Ma was forced to apologize publicly last week after calling a witness on forced labor in China at a meeting of the House of Commons committee on electric vehicles. The witness was suggesting that electric vehicles made in China include parts made by slave labor.
Ma asked if Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a senior fellow at the University of Ottawa, had seen this practice with her own eyes.
“Did you witness forced labor in (the Chinese province of) Shenzhen? Did you witness forced labor? Just a short answer – did you witness forced labor in Shenzhen, yes or no?” Ma asked, suggesting the alternative was “rumour”.
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Ma’s brutal remarks were initially misinterpreted by the media as referring to the western province of Xinjiang, which had been a major topic during the meeting. Human rights abuses against Xinjiang’s Muslim Uyghur population have been well documented by international monitoring groups.
Hours after his questions, Ma apologized and said he “inadvertently came across as dismissive of the serious issue of forced labour”.
“To be clear, my line of questioning referred to auto manufacturing in Shenzhen, China, not Xinjiang,” Ma’s statement said.
“I regret this error and apologize to Ms McCuaig-Johnston and the other members of the committee.”
Ma added that he opposes forced labor “in all its forms”.
Earlier on Monday, Carney was repeatedly asked by reporters about Ma’s comments.
“Mr. Ma has apologized for his comments, as he should have done,” Carney said.
“He has recognized the seriousness of the matter in that apology.”
Ma joined the Liberal group in December, one of three MPs to leave Poilievre’s Conservatives to join Carney’s team since November.
The Markham-Unionville MP accompanied Carney on his trade mission to Beijing in January, shortly after joining the Liberal caucus.
At Monday’s fundraiser, Carney boasted about his Liberal party drawing people like Ma, not only from Poilievre’s Conservatives, but also from the federal New Democrats and Ontario’s NDP.
“The Liberal Party is a big tent and it’s getting bigger,” Carney said in the video reviewed by Global News.
Carney has emphasized diversifying Canadian trade away from the United States under President Donald Trump, whose unprovoked tariff war has led to a year of chaos for Canadian businesses heavily dependent on American trade.
This includes thawing relations with China and other economically important but questionably reliable partners. Canada-China relations have cooled in recent years, after Beijing arrested Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor on national security grounds — largely perceived as retaliation after Ottawa arrested Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou on a US warrant.
The prime minister’s January trip to Beijing was successful in lowering Chinese tariffs on Canadian canola and agricultural exports, and Carney agreed to allow a limited number of Chinese electric vehicles into the Canadian market.
Carney was pressed on the situation of the Uyghurs at a press conference on Tuesday and whether he believes – as unanimously agreed in 2021 the House of Commons – that it amounts to a “genocide”.
“There are serious issues that remain,” Carney said.
“That’s why I’ve raised human rights issues with my Chinese counterparts in our engagements, and that’s why it’s essential in our relationship with China, in our trade relationship with China, that we have transparency in terms of where the goods come from, the treatment of those workers, and that they fully meet our standards in terms of child labor, slave labor, human rights.”
Carney’s comments came as Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne embarked on a five-day visit to China to meet with government and business leaders. Champagne’s office said the trip was an effort to “build strategic partnerships” and garner investment “as part of Canada’s broader diversification imperative.”
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said Ma would “move forward” by focusing on government priorities, including addressing issues of affordability, public safety and housing.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
