By Threatening The Halifax Security Forum In An Effort To Block Award To Taiwan’s President, The Trudeau Government Once Again Does Communist China’s Bidding

OpinionSpencerFernando

After everything that has happened, it is appalling and disturbing to see the Trudeau government still standing on the side of China rather than democratic allies.

I wasn’t planning to write today.

But sometimes, things don’t go as planned.

And when I saw this recent story from Politico titled “Trudeau government threatens Halifax Security Forum over proposed Taiwan award,” I knew I had to say something about it.

The report reveals how the Halifax Security Forum wanted to present the John McCain award for Leadership in Public service to Taiwan’s President, Tsai Ing-wen.

Tsai has been lauded around the world for her handling of the Wuhan Virus pandemic, alongside her commitment to democracy and her defense of Taiwan’s independence in the face of ongoing threats and belligerence from Communist China.

In short, presenting her the award would have been quite fitting.

Of course, it would have angered China, but everything seems to anger China these days, and free institutions in free countries cannot allow ourselves to be controlled by China’s outrage – which is often manufactured by the Chinese Communist Party in order to push their political goals.

And yet, the Trudeau government intervened to prevent the award from going to Tsai:

“Late last year, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter, the forum’s organizers decided to give its John McCain Prize for Leadership in Public Service to Tsai Ing-wen, the president of Taiwan. Cindy McCain, a member of the forum’s board of directors, greenlit the decision to honor Tsai with the prize named after her late husband.

It would have been the third time the HFX presented the McCain award. The first, in 2018, went to the people of Lesbos, Greece, for their efforts to save refugees; the second, in 2019, went to the citizen protesters in Hong Kong. HFX planned to give the third to Taiwan’s president for standing strong against China’s relentless pressure.

When Canadian officials learned of the forum’s plans, they made it clear that if organizers gave the honor to Tsai, the Canadian government would pull support — and funding — from HFX.”

The Trudeau government refused to deny it, issuing the kind of statement you make when the truth is too bad to admit, but you have to shovel out some BS regardless:

“The Government of Canada has provided financial support through a contribution agreement with the Halifax International Security Forum,” Sajjan’s spokesperson Todd Lane wrote in an email to POLITICO. “While financial support has been provided, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces are not involved in the planning of the Forum. The organizers reach out to us, as well as many other organizations, for panelists on various topics and we try to support when appropriate.”

In a statement to Politico, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole slammed the Trudeau government:

“It’s disappointing but not surprising to see the extent to which the Trudeau government will go to secretly support the Communist Party of China. It begs the question of what else this government is doing in secret to support their friends in China that we don’t know about.”

Reaction

The reaction to this story in Canada and around the world has been swift and strong:

“The Trudeau government is trying to bully a major security conference into not honouring Taiwanese President @iingwen because it goes against China’s wishes:”

“The Trudeau government’s silence is a serious miscalculation.

If democracies are silent, our hard-won and cherished beliefs in human rights & the rule of law will lose to a new, ascendant model of authoritarianism.

Precisely what China wants.”

https://twitter.com/MichaelChongMP/status/1381250288481357826

“It’s not hyperbole to point out the Liberal Party of Canada is deeply compromised by CCP political influence efforts, it’s all established in detail in Claws of the Panda. Items like this are simply the consequence of having a pro-CCP party in power.”

“Shame on ⁦@JustinTrudeau for bowing to pressure from the Chinese Communist Party.

Taiwan is standing strong against relentless pressure from the dictatorship in Beijing. He should honor them for doing so.”

“Another Liberal sponsorship scandal; only this one offends free world allies, betrays a valiant democracy, and shames Canada with ham-handed obeisance to Communist Chinese threats against Taiwan.”

“As a participant at the past three Halifax Security Forums, I must say that I am deeply disturbed by this.”

“The Canadian Government is threatening to pull all funding from the Halifax International Security Forum for their proposal to honor Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen with the McCain Prize for Leadership and Public Service. Stop bowing down to the CCP, Trudeau.”

https://twitter.com/KareemRifai/status/1381254230456078340

“This is an incredible position for the Cdn govt to take. The award is multilateral. @CanadianPM should not be kowtowing. Despite their threats, Beijing does not respect weakness — yet we’re acting meek. Halifax Security Forum can move to another country — Flag of China would like that too.”

https://twitter.com/M_Johnston1/status/1381314014865723398

“Disgraceful and disgusting. Flag of Taiwanis a beacon. Trudeau government threatens Halifax Security Forum over proposed Taiwan award”

https://twitter.com/PJ47596176/status/1381251717153558528

China realizes they can do anything to Canada and get weakness in return

History has shown with abundant clarity that trying to appease bullies only incentivizes more bullying.

Even worse, once a bully picks out on who the weakest target is, that target gets bullied even more.

Only by a showing a willingness to stand up for ourselves and stand up for our allies will we be able to make clear that bullying won’t work on our country.

But the problem is that Justin Trudeau doesn’t seem sure about who our allies really are.

It’s as if – despite all that has happened – Justin Trudeau is still trying to form an alliance with China, and is still trying to distance Canada from our fellow democracies.

Over and over again, Trudeau ignores opportunities to show strength, and instead decides to do the bidding of the Chinese Communist Party, sending a message to them that they can continue to threaten our Citizens, mistreat our country, and bully us and our allies, while getting only weakness and subservience in return.

Trudeau’s approach to China, and his continued pattern of acting almost on behalf of the CCP, puts our country at further risk, and it’s time for Canadians across the political spectrum – including the many Liberals who bucked the Trudeau PMO by voting to declare China’s actions against the Uyghur’s as a genocide – to speak out against Trudeau’s CCP-friendly agenda.

Spencer Fernando

Photo – YouTube

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