“China’s sanctions against Canadian parliamentarians and democratic institutions are unacceptable and an attack on transparency and freedom of expression.”
Following China’s sanctions against Conservative MP/Foreign Affairs Critic Michael Chong and the Parliamentary Sub-Committee on Human Rights, Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau issued a statement slamming China’s move:
“China’s sanctions against Canadian parliamentarians and democratic institutions are unacceptable and an attack on transparency and freedom of expression.
“The Government of Canada stands with parliamentarians and all Canadians as we continue to work with partners in defence of democracy and freedom of speech and will continue to take action when international human rights obligations are violated. We need to stand together to remind those who violate human and democratic rights that the world is watching.”
This is among the strongest statements issued by the Trudeau government in relation to China.
What we are seeing around the world is that China has been so belligerent and so aggressive that even governments (like the Trudeau Liberal) who wanted to get closer to China are finding themselves left with no choice but to push back against China’s increasingly arrogant and threatening manner. While Trudeau himself may still be reluctant to do so, we saw a strong consensus among Liberal MPs who voted for declaring China’s actions a genocide, showing a growing unity among Canadians on China.
We saw something similar in Britain, where self-described ‘Sinophile’ Boris Johnson wanted to deepen ties with China and allow China into the UK 5G network, before backtracking, restricting Huawei, and toughening his position towards China – including inviting potentially millions of Hong Kong residents to live in the UK.
China is picking fights with nearly everyone all at the same time, which along with their rapid military expansion is leading to the creation of a counter-balancing coalition made up of democratic allies.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – YouTube
