Canada must stand with free nations in the face of authoritarian threats.
Conservative MP Michael Chong recently visited Taiwan, continuing a long-standing tradition of Canadian politicians visiting the island nation. Chong’s visit comes at a time when Chinese officials have sought to warn Canadian politicians against visits to Taiwan, lest they ‘risk’ the recent Canada-China trade deal. Chong released the following statement regarding his trip:
Chong’s statement is 100% correct, and those criticizing his visit for the potential risk it could pose to the Canada-China trade deal are making the same error as those who claim Canadians should avoid criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump. As citizens of a free nation, Canadians are free to speak our minds, as are our leaders. If we sign a trade deal with another country in good faith, and are then told that a ‘condition’ of that deal – left out of the written deal itself, of course – is that we must impose some rigid top-down message control on our elected officials and citizens, then the only self-respecting thing to do is to ignore that condition.
China didn’t agree to lower tariffs on Canadian canola seed, canola meal, peas, and seafood out of some sense of charity. They lowered the tariffs because Canada lowered tariffs on Chinese EVs. That was the deal, and it was a rational deal for both sides. That deal doesn’t become less rational because a Canadian Member of Parliament went to Taiwan.
China’s response
Unsurprisingly, China’s response to the trip was negative, according to a statement issued by the Chinese embassy:
“Certain Canadian MP’s visit to the Taiwan region and his meetings with officials of the Taiwan region authorities gravely contravene the one-China commitment Canada upholds and send a wrong message of support for Taiwan independence. China firmly opposes this”.
Canadian government responds
The Canadian government also responded to questions about MP Chong’s trip, and defended the independence of MPs and noted the long history of Canadian Parliamentary trips to Taiwan:
“The Canadian government on Sunday defended Mr. Chong’s right to take the trip to Taiwan. “The independence of Parliament is a pillar of Canada’s democracy, and Members of Parliament and Senators have a longstanding practice of visiting Taiwan,” Global Affairs spokesperson Renelle Arsenault said in a statement. Ms. Arsenault repeated Canada’s long-standing policy of opposing any force being used to coerce change in relations between Taiwan and China. “Canada opposes any unilateral actions that threaten the status quo across the Taiwan Strait,” she said. Ms. Arsenault said Canada’s policy towards China has not changed. But, she added “within that framework, Canada and Taiwan maintain significant economic, cultural, and people-to-people ties.”
Chong’s trip was the right thing to do
Canada should not be coerced by threats from authoritarian political systems or authoritarian leaders. We should not calibrate our behaviour to avoid upsetting anti-democratic governments that make unreasonable demands, nor should we cater to the whims of leaders who sign deals and then violate those deals. We should instead deal with other nations in a respectful and principled manner. And the principled part matters here. At a moment when Canada faces threats to our sovereignty from the Trump Administration, it’s unreasonable to expect the support of other nations if we don’t support others who are in a similar position. The idea that big nations can just take what they want from small nations – or take those nations entirely – is an idea that would return our world to a more primitive, violent, and impoverished state. If we don’t want to live in that kind of world, if we want to live in a world where people deal with each other through voluntary trade rather than theft, then standing with nations like Ukraine and Taiwan is essential.
Michael Chong’s trip exemplifies the kind of principled stance Canada needs to show on a consistent basis under autocratic pressure, and it was the right thing to do.
Spencer Fernando
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