Canada’s foreign affairs minister denies any link between the federal government’s ongoing efforts to free two Canadians detained in China and Ottawa’s delay in releasing a decision stemming from its national security review of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei.
The minister’s comments come after the United Kingdom this week banned Huawei from its 5G telecom network, following in the footsteps of Australia and the United States.
Observers have since pointed out that Canada is the last member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance — which also includes New Zealand — to not restrict or ban the use of Huawei equipment in some form or another.
In an interview with TheWest Block that aired Sunday, guest host Farah Nasser asked Minister François-Philippe Champagne if the government’s 5G decision on Huawei is the only “bargaining chip” that Canada has left in its efforts to release Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, imprisoned in China since late 2018.
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Champagne said he “would not make any link” between the two files.
“There’s really no link between the two.”
“One is … we take the decision to protect the national security and the best interest of Canadians, and the other one is to continue to advocate for two Canadians which have been arbitrarily detained,” he said.
Kovrig and Spavor were detained in December 2018, a move Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has described as an “obvious” attempt by China to put “political pressure” on Canada for the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on Canadian soil.
American authorities criminally charged Meng and Huawei and requested Meng’s extradition to the U.S. to stand trial; she has denied the charges and is fighting her extradition in an ongoing case in British Columbia.
7:32 Canada’s international reputation in jeopardy if Meng released
Canada’s international reputation in jeopardy if Meng released
The matter has strained relations between Beijing — which has claimed Meng’s arrest was political — and the Canadian government, which amid all this has been conducting a national security review of Huawei Technologies Inc.
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The review is expected to determine whether the tech company should be permitted to be involved in the development of Canada’s 5G network.
The Liberal government delayed its long-awaited decision until after last fall’s federal election. In the meantime, the detention of the two Michaels is nearing 600 days.
Asked on The West Block what other measures Canada is considering to obtain their freedom, Champagne suggested Washington also has a leading role to play in achieving a resolution.
“I think we need to also look towards Washington, because this all started there and certainly we are working with our American allies to try to see what more can be done,” Champagne said.
“And more broadly, I’ve been talking to make sure we’re looking with our allies around the world about an international protocol to prevent, to the extent possible, arbitrary detention — talking with like-mindeds to make sure that … whatever state who wants to engage with arbitrary detention would be facing consequences for their action.”
3:33 Does Bob Rae support a prisoner exchange to secure the release of the “Two Michaels” held in China?
Does Bob Rae support a prisoner exchange to secure the release of the “Two Michaels” held in China?
Champagne told Nasser he’s been dealing with the issue of Kovrig and Spavor’s detention “almost on a daily basis” and his priority remains to achieve their “immediate release.”
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“This is not only now a Canadian issue, it has become a world issue and I’m sure that China is taking notice, that this is hurting (themselves)… that arbitrary detention is not the way to resolve conflict in 2020,” Champagne said.
“We will be relentless and we will use every opportunity to advocate for the release and to get consular access in accordance with the Vienna convention.”
Canada ‘appalled’ by Russian hackers targeting COVID-19 vaccine research
Canada, the U.S and the U.K. this week also showed they’ve had their eyes on Russia, releasing news on Thursday that a Russian hacking group has been targeting coronavirus vaccine research in all three countries.
The group “almost certain operates as part of Russian intelligence services,” the Communications Security Establishment, Canada’s cyberspy agency, said in a statement.
Champagne told The West Block that the federal government is “deeply concerned” and “appalled” by those hacking efforts during a global pandemic.
“It’s really disturbing and it’s times like that where we say we need to strengthen our resolve to make sure that we are vigilant first,” said Champagne, who issued a statement on Thursday about defending national interests from “malicious state actors,” but did not mention Russia by name.
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1:50 Russian hackers accused of targeting global COVID-19 vaccine research
Russian hackers accused of targeting global COVID-19 vaccine research
Nasser asked Champagne what specifically Canada will do in response, beyond calling out “irresponsible state behaviour,” as described in Thursday’s statement.
“Working with our allies, I would say, that’s the best place we can be,” he responded.
“To make sure that what our government is doing when it comes to security, when it comes to protecting our IP, when it comes to protecting firms that are doing fundamental research to help Canadians, we will use every means at our disposal to protect them, to defend them and to make sure that we call it for what it is.
“And this is a good example of calling out Russia, in this case very specifically, of trying to disturb and target some of the research activities going on in Canada.”
— With files from Global News’ Amanda Connolly, Andrew Russell and Sam Cooper
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.
