Conservative leadership candidate Michael Chong says he gets what his rival Steven Blaney was trying to say when he called him a “model of integration.”

Blaney made the comments about Chong on CTV’s Question Period in an interview with Evan Soloman: “To me, you know, Deepak Obhrai and Michael Chong are models of integration.”

Obhrai was born in Tanzania — but Chong was born in Windsor, Ontario; his parents are Dutch and Chinese immigrants.

Despite a wave of criticism on social media, when questioned on the subject at a press conference today Blaney essentially repeated the comment.

But all is well with Chong, who told iPolitics in an email, “I totally get what Steven was trying to say.

“I’m not an immigrant, of course, but my parents were and I’m very proud of the life they created for themselves and their family here in Canada. The success of myself and my siblings is proof of that.

“Steven and I disagree on some policy, but he is a colleague I respect and there was clearly no offense meant in his remarks.”

Chong wrote that his parents’ success story “speaks highly of Canada. Both Steven and I celebrate that.

“But I also want to emphasize that my vision of our country and our party is one of openness and inclusiveness. To win in 2019, our success depends on being a party that welcomes all races, creeds and backgrounds into building Canada and the Conservative Party.”