The United States, joined by nine other countries including the United Kingdom and Canada, declared a diplomatic boycott in which only the country’s athletes — no government officials or ministers — attended the Games. While this diplomatic boycott aimed to make a statement against the human rights violations of the Chinese government, it only put American athletes under public pressure, and also intensified the strained relationship between the United States and China.
The goal of the boycott was to exert public pressure on the Chinese government, in order to help with the human rights abuse situation in the Xinjiang region of China. It started from humanitarian social activists, holding a “fundamental commitment to promoting human rights,” according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
The sports themselves should be separated from the current political climate. U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland said she was excited to receive support from the U.S. government.
However, it is still difficult to create a respectful environment of sportsmanship when the athletes are the target of domestic critics who are outwardly supportive of the boycott.
Mary Gallagher, a professor of political science at the University of Michigan, said that those who neglect Beijing’s forceful intervention in Xinjiang are deaf to international condemnation of China’s policies. Regardless of whether the athletes were outspoken about the issue, their freedom of speech should not be at risk as they are already facing pressure from the game itself.
On a broader scale, the diplomatic boycott has also led to a heightened tension between the United States and China, which adds to a long history of tension that has not yet been resolved. For example, when former President Donald Trump signed legislation to sanction Chinese officials who took part in suppressing protests in Hong Kong, a large amount of criticism of the protestors was raised in China. This time on the Uyghurs’ issue, the New York Times revealed the propaganda of the Chinese government by recording locals’ pronouncement of their prosperous life as “born and raised” Xinjiang Uyghurs. These not only uphold the Chinese government’s welfare policy, but also strongly criticize “libel and slander” from the West.
This is not the first time the United States has declared a boycott on the Olympics. In 1980, the United States and other countries attempted to boycott the Olympics in Moscow over tension between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the Soviets from invading Afghanistan, and it kept athletes from participating in the Olympics. That boycott, thus, negatively affected the athletes’ experience in the Games, similarly to how this year’s boycott drew the attention away from athletes’ performance.
As Northeastern students living in a democratic society, we should focus on human rights liberation and spread the value of humanitarianism. However, we should not blindly accuse athletes of holding certain political views by participating in these Games. Even in our own Northeastern community, we had eight people attend the Olympics in Beijing — and all of whom have been proudly supported by the university. Their diversity in nationality was also embraced, which has created a harmonious atmosphere within the campus community toward these athletes. This is ultimately what the Olympic Games were meant to bring,but the boycott has only pushed us further away from achieving this goal.
Tim Zhao is a first-year journalism and political science combined major. He can be reached at [email protected]
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
