Canada Slams China Over Detained Citizens As Issue Set To Feature In Election

OTTAWA/VANCOUVER:Canada condemned China on Wednesday for its treatment of two detained Canadian citizens, days ahead of the anticipated start of an election campaign in which opposition parties are expected to accuse the government of being soft on Beijing.

Earlier in the day, a Chinese court sentenced businessman Michael Spavor to 11 years in prison on charges of espionage.

Foreign Minister Marc Garneau slammed what he called a completely unjustified verdict after “a mock sham trial.”

Spavor and fellow Canadian Michael Kovrig were detained in December 2018, shortly after Vancouver police picked up Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. arrest warrant.

Meng is fighting extradition in a Vancouver court and her case began committal hearings on Wednesday, the last judicial phase before going to Justice Minister David Lametti for his decision.

Ottawa says the cases of Meng and the two detained Canadians are clearly linked. China has consistently denied the charge.

“This decision in no way diminishes our resolve to secure the immediate release of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig. … This has gone on too long,” Garneau told reporters.

Aides say Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who first took office in 2015, is set to call a snap federal election soon. His Liberal Party’s main opponent will be the Conservatives, who demand Trudeau take a tougher stance against Beijing.

“We need to stand up … against this type of conduct by communist China,” Conservative leader Erin O’Toole told reporters. “Mr. Trudeau has been offside with respect to China for six years. A Conservative government will stand up for our values, our citizens and our security.”

Two senior Liberals, speaking on condition of anonymity, predicted that while the two detainees might be a campaign issue, voters would pay more attention to how the government had handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

Opinion polls suggest Trudeau will retain power but not necessarily with the majority he is seeking.

Asked about the potential for the detainees to become an election issue, Garneau said Canadians understood Ottawa was doing all it could to secure their release.

Canada is still pursuing intense talks with Washington and Beijing to secure the return of Spavor and Kovrig, who also faces spying charges, Garneau said, without giving details.

The government says it will not agree to a swap, saying it cannot interfere in the judicial process.

Meng is facing charges in the United States of misleading HSBC Holdings about Huawei Technologies Co Ltd’s business dealings in Iran, potentially causing the bank to violate U.S. sanctions.

Canadian government lawyers argued on Wednesday that the United States had a valid case and noted the bar for extradition was low.

Once final arguments are over, the judge will decide whether to order Meng’s extradition, followed by Lametti’s determination. Both decisions can be appealed and legal experts say the case could take years to complete.

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