CACN Committee Report
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The Conservative Members on the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations (CACN) are pleased to submit a supplementary opinion to the committee’s report on the situation in Hong Kong.
Conservatives support the committee’s report and all of its recommendations. In its support for universal suffrage, for the use of sanctions, for expanded immigration measures, and for some aspects of a tougher response to Chinese state interference in Canada, this report goes substantially further in the right direction than the government has been prepared to go thus far.
In light of concerns about the situation confronting Hong Kong’s judicial system, Conservatives propose the following recommendation for inclusion in the report:
“The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Justice should begin consultations about when to review whether it continues to be appropriate for a Canadian judge, the Hon. Beverley McLachlin, to continue to sit as a non-permanent judge on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal (CFA), in light of the resignation of the Hon. James Spigelman from the CFA last September and the consultations regarding the CFA initiated by UK Foreign Minister Dominic Raab.”
Conservatives would also propose that the report include a call for a coherent and coordinated plan to combat foreign state-backed interference in Canada. Many witnesses testified as to how the new dynamics in Hong Kong are leading to the increased targeting of people in Canada who are working to support democracy in Hong Kong, particularly through instruments of the Chinese Communist Party such as the United Front Work Department. Canada’s government must ensure the safety and security of all people in Canada, including those who are vocal about human rights and democracy abroad, by finally bringing forward a robust plan to respond to foreign state-backed interference.
Conservatives thank the witnesses who participated in this study, as well as the other Members of the committee and the committee staff for the work we were able to do together.