We Don't Have to Trade With China

Or even collude with it:

Canada’s former ambassador to China, Guy Saint-Jacques, says Beijing’s meddling in Canada’s democracy is worse than it has ever been.

Earlier this week, a report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) alleged that sitting federal politicians are “witting” participants in foreign interference schemes.

The report did not name names, and the Liberal government is resisting revealing their identities, citing concerns about sharing intelligence information.

Saint-Jacques told Global News he isn’t surprised about the bombshell allegations, but he is baffled by the lack of government response.

“What surprises me is that in fact the situation seems to have become worse over time,” Saint-Jacques said. “It’s mind-boggling that not more has been done to counter that.”

When Saint-Jacques was an ambassador 10 years ago, he said he was privy to discussions raising concerns about parliamentarians, senators, provincial politicians and political staffers colluding with China.

The former ambassador says Canada has been “complacent” for nearly a decade when it comes to Beijing, and federal leaders need to take a harder approach.

 

In 2013, Justin declared his undying love for China.

People put him into office.

Why?

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The briefing note for Rob Stewart, deputy minister of international trade, cited what it called unfair Chinese bans on imports of Canadian beef and pet food, obstructive regulations for foreign businesses, and favouritism toward state-owned and other domestic companies.

Stewart’s meeting with Wang Shouwen, vice minister of commerce, in Ottawa in March 2023 came after Canada’s trade deficit – the difference between what Canada exports to China and what it imports from there – soared 23 per cent in 2022 to $71 billion.

“The growing deficit does point to a worrisome trend,” says the note preparing Stewart for his meeting, obtained by the National Post through access-to-information legislation.

“I frequently hear from Canadian companies who relay concerns of market constriction in China … policies that tend to favour domestic over foreign,” said the document. “They also complain of opaque regulations, cumbersome licensing requirements, onerous ownership requirements and fierce competition due to market dominance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs).”

The meeting came four months after the Liberal government released its new Indo-Pacific Strategy, which signalled a more wary approach to “disruptive” China. “Canadian companies cannot ‘unsee’ past experiences of economic coercion,” says the briefing note, referring to the strategy.

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We learned this week that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service believed that the PRC had “significant impact” in securing the Liberal nomination for MP Han Dong. The PRC consulate in Toronto told some 200 international Chinese students bussed into the meeting that they had to vote for Dong to keep their student visas.

That’s not friendly behaviour, and not how friends act. Learning that China is not a friend is a strategic challenge that Canada, and the world, will have to meet.