Canadian officials haven’t been given permission to attend the trials of the two Canadians detained in China, Global Affairs has confirmed.
The development comes as Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau confirmed on Wednesday that the Canadian Embassy in Beijing has been notified of the court dates for the two Canadians, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig.
“The official notification received from Chinese authorities indicated that these trials are closed to both the public and the media,” wrote Global Affairs spokesperson Christelle Chartrand in a statement on Thursday.
“Despite several official requests to Chinese authorities, Canadian officials have not yet received permission to attend the trials.”
She added that the government remains “deeply troubled” by the lack of transparency surrounding the proceedings.
Spavor’s trial is understood to take place on March 19, and Kovrig’s is believed to be slated for March 22.
0:39 China says it ‘fully’ safeguards rights of ‘2 Michaels’ after report that trial will come soon
China says it ‘fully’ safeguards rights of ‘2 Michaels’ after report that trial will come soon
Spavor and Kovrig were detained in December 2018 in apparent retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver. The arrest was at the behest of the United States, which had requested her extradition.
In a statement, the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa said the U.S. is “deeply alarmed” by the trials.
“We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Canada in calling for their immediate release and continue to condemn the lack of minimum procedural protections during their two-year arbitrary detention,” U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Katherine Brucker said.
Statement from Chargé d’Affaires Katherine Brucker: The United States is deeply alarmed by reports that People’s Republic of China authorities are commencing trials for Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig.
Both Canadians have been accused of espionage, a crime that is punishable in China by life in prison with a minimum sentence of 10 years. Chinese courts boast a 99.99 per cent conviction rate, meaning that once a trial is commenced, the odds are the two being convicted are all but a guarantee.
Kovrig’s employer, the International Crisis Group, said in a statement that it’s “disappointed” in the news of the Canadian’s pending trial.
“From the moment he was detained, the political nature of his case has been clear,” said Richard Atwood, interim president of International Crisis Group, in a statement. Kovrig has been working for ICG since 2017.
“What happens in the Chinese legal system does not change this. After 830 days imprisoned, Michael should be released immediately so he can return home to his loved ones.
Speaking to Global News on Wednesday, Kovrig’s wife, Vina Nadjibulla, called the announcement a “difficult piece of news to process.”
“It’s overwhelming. I keep thinking about Michael and how he must be experiencing this and preparing and making sense of it, preparing for Monday,” Nadjibulla said.
She said the news “underscores the urgency” of the situation and that Canadian officials “must do everything possible to bring them home.”
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“We’re running out of time. The process in China is moving ahead and this is incredibly, incredibly urgent at this stage,” Nadjibulla said.
Spavor’s family, who have kept a low-profile throughout his detention, also spoke up about the looming trial in a statement issued to Global News on Thursday.
“As a family, we have chosen to remain largely out of the media due to Michael’s request for privacy. At this time, we feel it is necessary to speak out and call for his unconditional release,” the family wrote in the statement.
“His continued unjust detention depriving him of his liberty is both unfair and unreasonable, especially given the lack of transparency in the case.”
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Trudeau calls it ‘obvious’ that the 2 Michaels were arrested on ‘trumped up national security charges’ – Mar 3, 2021
Spavor’s family described him as an “ordinary Canadian businessman” who had done “extraordinary things” to build ties between Canada, China and North Korea.
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“He loved living and working in China and would never have done anything to offend the interests of China or the Chinese people. We stand by Michael and maintain his innocence in this difficult situation,” they wrote.
“We thank the government of Canada for its tireless advocacy for the release of both our Michael and Michael Kovrig, and we are endlessly grateful for the support, thoughts and prayers of our friends and allies around the world.”
The government has been repeatedly calling for the release of the two detained Canadians since their arbitrary arrest in 2018. However, that push has been hindered by the icy relationship between Canada and China, which hit the deep freeze over the last two years.
Beyond the retaliatory detentions of the two Canadians, China also sentenced Canadian Robert Schellenberg to die after a hastily scheduled retrial of his drug smuggling conviction in China — just one month after Meng’s arrest.
The government has repeatedly called for clemency in Schellenberg’s case, but so far it has not been granted.
Canada further infuriated the Chinese government with its recent spearheading of a declaration denouncing state-sponsored arbitrary detention of foreign nationals for political purposes.
While the Canadian government insisted the declaration, which had been sponsored by 58 countries in mid-February, was not aimed at any single country, China interpreted the move as an attack.
In an article published in the Global Times, an English-language paper that effectively functions as a mouthpiece for the Chinese government, Chinese experts were cited calling the declaration an “ill-considered attack designed to provoke China.”
“As such, China will not be scared and make compromises, Canada’s chosen diplomatic approach has never worked before, and will not achieve any goal in the future, and this very act of Canada will just ‘rebound in the worst possible way,’ (experts) say,” the Global Times article said.
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Michael Kovrig’s wife says she hopes Biden’s ‘powerful’ words will lead to action – Feb 28, 2021
Less than a month later, that same paper published the report that Kovrig and Spavor’s respective trials will get underway “soon.”
In his statement announcing those trial dates, Garneau said the arbitrary detentions of the two Canadians remain a “top priority” for the Canadian government.
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“We continue to work tirelessly to secure their immediate release,” he said.
— with files from Global News’ Hannah Jackson, Abigail Bimman and Marc-André Cossette
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
