February 25, 2021, Ottawa, ON – Today, Garnett Genuis, Conservative Shadow Minister for International Development and Human Rights, the Hon. Michael Chong, Conservative Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative Shadow Minister for Public Services and Procurement, and John Williamson, Conservative Member of Parliament for New Brunswick Southwest, the Conservative members of the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations, issued the following statement on the Canada-China committee’s report to Parliament:

“Today, the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations delivered a report with recommendations for the Trudeau Liberals to take action in response to the deteriorating situation in Hong Kong. Conservatives support all the recommendations of this report.

“The Liberal government’s response to the Communist Party of China’s crackdown on Hong Kong is inadequate. This report, which has support from all parties provides clear steps for the Liberals to take in response.

“The report endorses universal suffrage for Hong Kongers, the application of sanctions, and the introduction of meaningful immigration measures to assist democracy activists and other Hong Kongers. It also recommends measures the government should immediately take to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s foreign influence operations that are threatening and intimidating Canadians here at home.

“Conservatives have been calling on the Liberals to take many of these actions already. We are now calling on the Liberal government to implement all the recommendations in this report. We also call on the Liberals to review whether it is appropriate for a Canadian judge, the Hon. Beverley McLachlin, to sit as a non-permanent member of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal, and for the Liberals to put in place a robust and comprehensive plan to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s foreign influence operations in Canada.

“The presence of 300,000 Canadians in Hong Kong adds urgency to this call. Too much time has already been lost.”