Conservative leader calls for stronger Liberal action to free two Michaels detained in China
Posted November 17, 2020 4:12 pm.
Last Updated November 17, 2020 4:15 pm.
OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) — The Conservative opposition in Ottawa is chastising the federal government for not taking stronger action to free a pair of Canadians being held in China.
Spavor and Kovrig have been held for nearly two years in China after being arrested on spying charges, shortly after the RCMP detained Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on a U.S. warrant.
Leader Erin O’Toole says the federal government needs to press Beijing harder in a bid to free Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
“The Trudeau government has made no progress. In fact, they originally called the capturing of the two Michaels to be regular consular cases. We said at the time, ‘That is not the situation,’ ” he says.
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“I think, personally, after a weak response by Mr. Trudeau in many years has not lead to any progress on the case of the two Micheals. A more principled, a stronger approach may make progress.”
O’Toole called on the Liberals to scrap it’s 5G deal with Huawei, arguing it needs to be more assertive with Beijing.
“We have to show that we will work with our allies in a concerted way to provide a counterbalance to the bad actions of China, with respect to Hong Kong and the Uyghur Muslim minority population.”
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The U.S. is pressuring Canada and its allies in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network to ban Huawei because it views the company as an espionage arm of the Chinese state, a charge the company denies.
O’Toole says he wants the matter debated in the House of Commons and wants a new strategy to deal with China, because the Liberals have not done enough to stand up to its intimidation of Canada.
-with files from the Canadian Press
