Marc Garneau

[Foreign Affairs, March 26th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, we do indeed work with our allies when we want to bring up extremely serious problems that are occurring with China, namely the issue of arbitrary detention and the gross violations of human rights that are occurring in Xinjiang with the Uighurs and other ethnic minorities. We will work with our partners, multilaterally in a coordinated fashion, to bring these extremely important issues to the attention of China, and we will continue to do so until those problems are resolved.

[Foreign Affairs, March 26th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, our number one priority at the moment is to secure the release of two Canadians, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig who have been arbitrarily detained on trumped-up charges by the Chinese government, and we will spare no effort to get their safe return home. We will continue to point out that China is practising an unacceptable diplomacy by engaging in arbitrary detention.

[Foreign Affairs, March 23rd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Mississauga East—Cooksville and chair of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights for his work on this serious issue.

More than ever, democratic countries must stand together to defend democracy and human rights. That is why yesterday we joined our allies in imposing sanctions on four individuals and an entity who have played a key role in the persecution of the Uighurs.

We will continue to call on China to stop the repression against the Uighurs and to hold those responsible to account.

[Foreign Affairs, March 22nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, we have been focused on the release of the two Michaels from the very beginning. We have said very, very clearly that arbitrary detention of innocent Canadian civilians on trumped-up charges is totally unacceptable. Now we are joined by many other countries that are also very concerned about arbitrary detention.

My message to China is that if it is doing business with other countries, it is not acceptable to detain their citizens when it is has a difference of opinion with that country. That is not how the international rules of law are applied.

[Foreign Affairs, March 22nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, of course I reject the premise of that unusual question. I want all Canadians to know that the release of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig is our number one priority. Our thoughts go out to both of them and their families at this very difficult time.

We, of course, have said for the longest time that arbitrary detention is totally unacceptable, and we are very preoccupied by the lack of transparency in their court proceedings.

We thank other countries for joining us in front of the courthouse for today's trial.

[Points of Order, February 22nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I have been listening to my hon. colleagues, and I am very happy to simply say “I abstain”.

[Human Rights, February 22nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and President Biden will discuss a number of issues, some of which are related to international matters and some of which are related to China. I cannot speculate on the specific content of those discussions, but China will certainly be raised.

[Human Rights, February 22nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said very many times in the past, we are very preoccupied with the reports that have come out of China with respect to the treatment of Uighurs. The Conservative Party brought forward a motion. We will vote on that today and I will not try to anticipate or predict the outcome of that vote.

[Human Rights, February 22nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for having asked essentially the same question again.

We have made our concerns about the reports and allegations regarding the treatment of the Uighur people and other minorities in the Xinjiang region very clear to the Chinese government.

We have also taken measures concerning the production of goods in the labour camps. The Government of Canada is taking these allegations very seriously. We will continue to work with our international partners on this issue.

[Human Rights, February 22nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, as we have said repeatedly, we are greatly concerned by the allegations and reports concerning the treatment of the Uighur people and other Turkic Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region.

We made that clear to the Chinese government, and we demanded that they allow experts in to survey the situation. We are taking the allegations of genocide very seriously, and we are working with our international partners on this extremely important issue.