The comments come as the trials for Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who have been detained since 2018, are starting to get underway. While Kovrig’s trial is scheduled for Monday, Spavor appeared before the Chinese courts Thursday night. His closed-door trial lasted just two hours and ended without a verdict.
“Let me be very clear. Their arbitrary detention is completely unacceptable, as is the lack of transparency around these court proceedings,” Trudeau said, speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Friday.
He added that Canada’s “top priority” remains securing the release of Spavor and Kovrig.
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“We will continue to work tirelessly to bring them home as soon as possible,” Trudeau said.
2:01 Trudeau refuses to trade Meng for Spavor, Kovrig
Trudeau refuses to trade Meng for Spavor, Kovrig
“Going forward, we will continue to be in close contact with the families during this difficult time. To their loved ones, know that today and every day, Canadians are with you and are thinking of both Michaels.”
Trudeau isn’t the first to issue a rebuke of China’s shadowy handling of the trials. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Garneau called also the detentions “arbitrary” and said he remains “deeply troubled by the lack of transparency surrounding these proceedings.”
The Chinese government was angered by the comments, issuing a press release Friday morning that called Canada “hypocritical and arrogant” over its criticism of China’s handling of the arbitrary detentions.
“On the one hand, the Canadian side claims that it upholds the rule of law, but on the other hand, it makes irresponsible remarks with regards to China’s handling relevant cases in accordance with law,” read a statement from a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Canada, sent to Global News.
Trudeau responded to China’s statement on Friday, rebuking the notion that Canada has anything but respect for the rule of law.
“Canada is a country of the rule of law. We move forward in full respect of that rule of law, and we move forward in full transparency,” he said.
1:46 2 Michaels: What comes next after Michael Spavor’s trial ends in just two hours?
2 Michaels: What comes next after Michael Spavor’s trial ends in just two hours?
When pressed on whether he believes China will give Spavor and Kovrig fair trials, Trudeau explained that the closed-door nature of the hearings leaves Canada in the dark.
“One of the challenges around the lack of transparency on that process is it becomes extremely difficult to make judgments around whether or not the trial was fair,” Trudeau replied.
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“I’m going to continue to advocate for the release of these two Michaels who have been arbitrarily detained and push for transparency around the processes by which these trials are ongoing”
“We know that unlike Canada, China’s courts are not based on the rule of law and we have little confidence that Mr. Spavor received a fair trial,” read a statement from Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong.
“We continue to demand that the Chinese Communist regime end the arbitrary and unlawful detention of Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor.”
Thursday night, the Canadian Embassy’s deputy chief of mission Jim Nickel knocked on the Chinese courthouse door ahead of Spavor’s trial, but was refused entry. While he was told when the trial would start, he was left in the dark when it came to the duration of the trial or when a verdict would be announced.
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 – Mar 12, 2021
Media and the public were also barred from the room, with China citing the “state secrets” involved in the case as justification.
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Meanwhile, China has called Canadian criticism of the lack of transparency and overall arbitrary nature of the arrests “fact-distorting.”
“The Chinese side expresses its strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition,” the embassy spokesperson said.
Both Spavor and Kovrig 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 99.7 per cent conviction rate, meaning that once a trial is commenced, the odds are the two being convicted are all but a guarantee.
The two Canadians 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.
1:17 Lawyers for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou are casting doubts about who knew what in her extradition case.
Lawyers for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou are casting doubts about who knew what in her extradition case – Mar 1, 2021
In a statement issued just hours after Canadian officials, the media and the public were barred from attending Spavor’s trial, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy insisted that China is “a country with rule of law.”
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“When it comes to arbitrary detention, Ms. Meng Wanzhou has been arbitrarily detained for over two years despite the fact that she hasn’t violated any Canadian law. This is arbitrary detention in every sense of the term,” they said, despite the fact that Canada was fulfilling its extradition obligations with the United States.
“We urge the Canadian side to earnestly respect China’s judicial sovereignty and stop making irresponsible remarks and interfering in China’s handling of cases in accordance with law in any form.”
As China continues to link Meng’s arrest to the cases of the two detained Canadians, Garneau said the arbitrary detentions of the two Canadians remain a “top priority” for the Canadian government.
“We continue to work tirelessly to secure their immediate release,” he said.
As part of Canada’s effort to free the two detained Canadians, Canada has been pushing allies to raise the plights of Spavor and Kovrig in their own bilateral discussions with China.
“China needs to understand that it is not just about two Canadians, it is about the respect for the rule of law and relationships with a broad range of Western countries that is at play with the arbitrary detention and the coercive diplomacy they have engaged in,” Trudeau said.
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6:38 Michael Kovrig’s wife says she hopes Biden’s ‘powerful’ words will lead to action
Michael Kovrig’s wife says she hopes Biden’s ‘powerful’ words will lead to action – Feb 28, 2021
Given the U.S. extradition order at the center of Meng’s arrest, experts have said that the United States could be the key to cooling off the boiling tensions between Canada and China.
“We have nothing on the table with regard to Kovrig and Spavor,” said Charles Burton, a senior fellow and China expert at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
“So it does seem to me that Canada is more or less standing idly by while the United States and China try and sort this matter out.”
High-level U.S. officials are currently meeting with their Chinese counterparts in Alaska, where Trudeau said Friday that he has “confidence” the issue of the two detained Canadians will be raised.
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Following a meeting with Trudeau in late February, U.S. President Joe Biden said the two countries are working together to try to secure the release of the two detained Canadians.
“Human beings are not bartering chips,” Biden said.
“We’re going to work together until we get their safe return.”
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
