Chan has also served as a Senior Business Advisor for the law firm Miller Thomson LLP in Vaughan and as a member of the board of governors at Seneca College.

[3] As the Chinese Communist Party took power in China, Mr. Chan's family went to Macau,[3] before moving to Hong Kong and eventually migrating to Canada in 1969, when he was 18.

[4] Before entering politics he was president of the federal Liberal Party of Canada riding association for the Markham—Unionville constituency held by MP John McCallum.

[5] Chan was elected in a February 8, 2007 by-election, necessitated by the resignation of former Liberal MPP Tony Wong, who left his seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to successfully run for York Regional Council in 2006.

[11] Chan was instrumental in fundraising for the Liberals, as well as being active in the recruitment of Chinese Canadians to campaign for seats at both the federal and provincial levels.

[19] In 2015, Chan sued The Globe and Mail for a report that claimed he was the subject an investigation by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) for ties to officials in Beijing and susceptibility to influence by the Chinese government.

[4] Sources claim Justin Trudeau and senior Liberal Party officials ignored CSIS warnings about Chan and Dong.

So if they can produce the money, the party is putty in their hands.”[18] In December 2023, Chinese dissident and Uyghur rights groups questioned their safety to testify at a planned public inquiry on foreign interference with Chan present.