O’Toole warns Canadians not safe in China after court upholds death sentence

OTTAWA — Federal Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is accusing Beijing of using the death penalty for political purposes after a Chinese court upheld a Canadian’s death sentence.

O’Toole is also reopening the door to a Canadian boycott of next year’s Winter Olympics in China, warning the Chinese government’s recent actions show Canadians are not safe in the country.

Conservative Leader @erinotoole says Canada should be considering a boycott of the upcoming Beijing Olympics in the wake of China upholding the death sentence for Canadian Robert Schellenberg. Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor also still behind bars #cdnpoli

— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) August 10, 2021

O’Toole was commenting after the Higher People’s Court of Liaoning Province rejected Canadian Robert Schellenberg’s appeal after his sentence in a drug case was increased to the death penalty in 2019.

That coincided with the Chinese government’s efforts to pressure Canada into releasing Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou after she was detained in Vancouver on U.S. fraud charges.

Related articles:

• Ruling expected in case of one of two Canadian Michaels detained in China
• Chinese court upholds Canadian prisoner Robert Schellenberg’s death sentence
• Canada’s Conservatives say Olympics shouldn’t be in China

China has also arrested and tried two other Canadians, entrepreneur Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig, on spying charges in apparent retaliation for Meng’s detention.

A Chinese court is expected to release its verdict in Spavor’s case on Wednesday as a Canadian court hears arguments on whether Meng should be handed over to U.S. authorities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2021.

The Canadian Press