St. Albert-Edmonton MP Michael Cooper has said it’s imperative that Canada re-establish a special committee on Canada-China relations.
“There's a lot of work for Parliament in terms of studying a range of issues affecting Canada-China relations and to scrutinize the government's policy on China,” he said.
The special committee on Canada-China relations was first established on Dec. 5, 2019, and was dissolved on Aug. 18, 2021, shortly after Premier Justin Trudeau called the federal election.
Cooper would like to see that committee re-established, and soon.
He isn't the only Conservative MP pushing for the committee. Cooper is one among a handful of Conservative MPs, including Charlesbourg-Haute-Saint-Charles MP Pierre Paul-Hus; New Brunswick Southwest MP John Williamson; Grande Prairie-Mackenzie MP Chris Warkentin; and Sherwood Park–Fort Saskatchewan MP Garnett Genius speaking out about the issue.
Cooper said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) poses the biggest security and economic threat to Canada, and to global democracy and human rights.
“It is important that Canada work with our allies to address the very serious geopolitical issues,” Cooper said.
Cooper said these issues include: the imposition of punitive trade measures against Canada; the Chinese Communist regime's threats to the safety and security of 300,000 Canadians in Hong Kong; and the regime's hostage diplomacy against two Canadians, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig.
“It is a regime that interfered — or in which there’s credible allegations — in the most recent federal election,” said Cooper, adding the Atlantic Council, a non-partisan organization which examines political, economic, and security issues, found through its digital forensics research lab that China-linked WeChat accounts spread disinformation critical of the Conservative Party prior to the election.
“This needs to be investigated,” said Cooper.
Broadly speaking, the CCP is a regime that has destabilized the Indo-Pacific region by militarizing the South China Sea; it has dismantled democracy and the rule of law in Hong Kong; and has put Taiwan in its crosshairs, Cooper said.
“It is a regime that is, of course, a gross violator of human rights, including on the level of committing crimes of genocide against Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in Xinjiang province,” he said.
In February of last year, the House passed a non-binding motion that acknowledged the CPP had committed acts of genocide. The motion, which passed 266-0, stated, “the People's Republic of China has engaged in actions consistent with the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 260, commonly known as the 'Genocide Convention,' including detention camps and measures intended to prevent births as it pertains to Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims.”
However, Premier Justin Trudeau and most of his cabinet were not present to vote. Former Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau was present for the vote but stated he was abstaining on behalf of the Government of Canada.
Cooper said the China Canada is dealing with today is not the same China of 10 years ago, and the relationship between the two countries is badly strained.
On Dec. 27, 2021, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhoa Lijian spoke during a press conference about the relations between Canada and China.
“The China-Canada relationship is standing at a crossroads. Does Canada see China as a partner or a rival? This is a fundamental question bearing on the future of bilateral ties that Canada must think through,” said Lijian.
“China attaches importance to relations with Canada and holds that we should grow bilateral ties on the basis of mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit,” Lijian stated.
As for why the committee hasn’t been re-established, Cooper said the position taken by Foreign Affairs Critic, Michael Chong, in a December interview with The Globe and Mail is that there was a resource issue with the House of Commons.
“That is not an acceptable explanation for failing to reconstitute this committee," said Cooper.
“The House of Commons is a multi-million-dollar operation. To suggest that somehow the House of Commons doesn't have the resources to establish one additional committee requires a suspension of disbelief.”
Cooper said in the past the committee was doing important work in a non-partisan manner, and he believes that if a motion is put forward it will pass, and the Bloc Québécois and NDP have appeared to indicate support.
In fairness, said Cooper, Parliament only sat for a month before the winter break.
“I would hope that the committee would be re-established very shortly in the very near future. Delaying the committee months on months down the road, I don't think, would be acceptable. [These are] significant issues. This committee was doing good work.”
