Evidence of meeting #25 for Canada-China Relations in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was universities.
A video is available from Parliament.
9:30 p.m.
Liberal
9:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Geoff Regan
Is anyone opposed on an additional eight minutes? I don't see anyone.
Did you say two minutes each? All right.
Mr. Genuis, you have two minutes.
9:30 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Li, my colleagues have raised the fact that many witnesses have told us that Confucius Institutes are a front for espionage. You have told us that at least the Confucius Institute at Carleton is not, but you have also been unwilling to contradict the party line on any issues in response to my questions about human rights abuses or the Dalai Lama. This makes me wonder if your employment status would be at risk if you criticized the Chinese government, so I want to put this to the test here.
Mr. Li, based on your bio, you were living in China during the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. The Chinese Red Cross estimates that over 2,500 peacefully protesting students were shot in cold blood. As someone who today works with students at a university, do you believe these figures are accurate, and do you think the Chinese State was wrong to sanction opening fire on peaceful protestors?
9:30 p.m.
Director, National Capital Confucius Institute for Culture, Language and Business, Carleton University, As an Individual
Thank you, sir.
I am employed by Carleton University. My employment is with Carleton, and I don't think this has anything to do with China.
9:30 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Li, would you like to respond to my question about the Tiananmen Square massacre?
9:30 p.m.
Director, National Capital Confucius Institute for Culture, Language and Business, Carleton University, As an Individual
I'm sorry. What's the question again?
9:30 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
In 1989 over 2,500 student protesters were massacred in cold blood. As someone who works with students, do you believe that those figures are accurate as reported by the Chinese Red Cross, and do you believe that the Chinese state was wrong to sanction opening fire on peaceful protesters?
9:30 p.m.
Director, National Capital Confucius Institute for Culture, Language and Business, Carleton University, As an Individual
I don't have the expertise and knowledge to validate the numbers in that incident.
9:30 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
You were living in China at the time, Mr. Li.
9:30 p.m.
Director, National Capital Confucius Institute for Culture, Language and Business, Carleton University, As an Individual
Yes.
9:30 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Do you believe it was wrong for the Chinese government to sanction opening fire on peaceful protesters in Tiananmen Square?
9:30 p.m.
Director, National Capital Confucius Institute for Culture, Language and Business, Carleton University, As an Individual
I was in China, I was in Beijing, and none of my friends or acquaintances have been a victim so far. It's an unfortunate event, of course.
9:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Geoff Regan
Thank you, Mr. Genuis.
Mr. Lightbound, you may go ahead. You have two minutes.
9:30 p.m.
Liberal
Joël Lightbound Liberal Louis-Hébert, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Before I get to my question for Mr. Li, I would like to address some incorrect information shared by Pierre Paul-Hus. In one of his questions, he claimed that a report entitled “The Security Dimensions of an Influential China” was written by CSIS.
That is not true. The preamble to the report clearly states that it was not authored by CSIS. Rather, the report reflects the views of independent scholars and analysts presented during a conference hosted by CSIS. It is not a CSIS report.
I just wanted to make that clear so there is no confusion among the committee members or in the committee's eventual report.
My question is for Mr. Li. I want to come back to the question Mr. Dubourg asked.
Mr. Li, as the director of the Confucius Institute at Carleton University, would you agree to higher someone who practises Falun Gong?
9:30 p.m.
Director, National Capital Confucius Institute for Culture, Language and Business, Carleton University, As an Individual
Thank you, sir.
I'm the only employee on the staff of the Confucius Institute at Carleton University, and we don't hire anyone else. I'm the only one, and we work with business scholars from China. Then we teach at the School of Linguistics and Language Studies.
9:30 p.m.
Liberal
9:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Geoff Regan
Thank you, Mr. Lightbound.
Mr. Bergeron, you may go ahead. You have two minutes.
9:35 p.m.
Bloc
Stéphane Bergeron Bloc Montarville, QC
I would like to piggyback on Mr. Lightbound's question.
Mr. Li, if you are the only employee, are you the only person who teaches classes? From your answer, I gather that teachers are hired to give language classes.
9:35 p.m.
Director, National Capital Confucius Institute for Culture, Language and Business, Carleton University, As an Individual
I don't hire, and Carleton does not hire, Chinese business scholars. Business scholars pay by themselves, and Carleton reviews their academic qualifications. These business scholars are responsible for their own funding coming to Canada.
9:35 p.m.
Bloc
Stéphane Bergeron Bloc Montarville, QC
What is the institute's role if Carleton University hires the language teachers itself?
9:35 p.m.
Director, National Capital Confucius Institute for Culture, Language and Business, Carleton University, As an Individual
Carleton is free to hire Canadian local instructors. The mandate of the institute is to work with the visiting scholars from China. We provide the selection of candidates for the department to review, interview and select. Then they teach these courses at the school, the linguistic and language courses and the language studies.
9:35 p.m.
Bloc
Stéphane Bergeron Bloc Montarville, QC
All the teachers come from the People's Republic of China. Is that correct?
9:35 p.m.
Director, National Capital Confucius Institute for Culture, Language and Business, Carleton University, As an Individual
There are only one or two. We have about two at a time for each semester a year, in that kind of range, but now we don't have anyone. They all returned to China at the end of December of last year.
9:35 p.m.
Bloc
Stéphane Bergeron Bloc Montarville, QC
Who selects the candidates whose applications are submitted to Carleton University?
9:35 p.m.
Director, National Capital Confucius Institute for Culture, Language and Business, Carleton University, As an Individual
It is the language department or faculty at Carleton University. Carleton has the right to decide or decline their application—