Today I want to talk to you about something very important—Canada. Don’t laugh. Because after the November elections, half of the United States will be moving there. Which half, we'll have to wait and see.
But while Americans are contemplating moving to Canada in droves, it may be too late to get a spot. That’s because Chinese people are already moving to Canada in droves. Including a number of corrupt Chinese officials.
So on Saturday, Chinese premier Li Keqiang wrapped up a historic three-day visit to Canada. That’s after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau traveled to China earlier this month.
That’s it? That’s the best he could come up with? It’s like he just looked at the flag and was like, “ok, maples.” What about “the beautiful land of poutine and Tim Hortons, where babies are born with ice skates on, and handsome mounties wander the frozen tundra with white wolves at their feet?” Boom. Nailed it.
Anyway, for years, the Chinese regime has been working hard to get closer ties to America’s less violent northern doppelganger. It’s been seeking a free trade deal and relaxed investment rules. And importantly, it’s been seeking an extradition treaty that would allow Beijing to nab those “corrupt officials” and send them back to China. But you see, there’s a couple problems with that.
Look, no one likes corrupt officials. So why shouldn’t Canada work with China to send them back and face trial? Well, for one, the Chinese regime labels all sorts of people as criminals—and a lot of people labeled corrupt are victims of political purging. And then, of course, there are those pesky dissidents who criticize the Chinese regime. Like artist Ai Weiwei. The regime once investigated him for so-called “economic crimes.”
And for two, the Chinese regime kills people for corruption. In China, unlike the United States, you can be executed for economic crimes—even embezzling just five hundred thousand dollars. And China’s state-controlled courts don’t exactly give people a fair trial.
Canada, on the other hand, has generally been a world leader in human rights. The Chinese Communist Party’s liberal use of the death penalty—and liberal use of trumping up charges for political purposes—are two reasons why Canada has resisted ever signing an extradition treaty with them.
But the Chinese regime has a way of getting what it wants. This is Canadian citizen Kevin Garratt. He just spent two years in a Chinese prison.
This was after living in China for 30. He and his wife ran a part-time Christian aid mission, giving food to starving North Koreans. Or as state-run Xinhua News calls is, “accepting tasks from Canadian espionage agencies to gather intelligence in China.” Same difference. That’s why Chinese authorities arrested Garratt and his wife in 2014. She was released on bail, but he was charged in January with spying and stealing state secrets. He was convicted earlier this month, (change tone) then deported back to Canada a week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited China. I wonder what happened?
Surely, the Canadian government didn’t make lots of concessions to China over free trade, investment, and that extradition treaty, to get Garrett back! Right... Because the Chinese Communist Party is so kind and benevolent.
In fact, it’s totally a coincidence that shortly after that, China and Canada are exploring free trade, solving long-standing disputes, and reconsidering that extradition treaty.
But you know, maybe Canada didn’t make any concessions; Because Canada’s cave-in to China may have started much earlier--on a very black-and-white issue.
That’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with two Canadian-born panda cubs. Look at his face! Who could resist those two little snugglemuffins? Of course, every panda in the world is technically just on loan from China, even the ones born overseas. So wouldn’t it be a shame if they had to go back to China? Who wouldn’t sign an extradition treaty to keep holding those armfuls of fluffy softness?
Ok, I’m joking about China threatening to repatriate the pandas, but Chinese authorities giving countries pandas to soften China’s political image is a real thing. It’s literally called panda diplomacy.
So back to that extradition treaty—it’s not a big deal after all. Why? Because undercover Chinese security agents have already been going into Canada, and strong-arming Chinese immigrants to return anyway.
But hey, wouldn’t a treaty eliminate that, maybe allow of the Canadian government to have a bit more say? Well, The US doesn’t have an extradition treaty with China either—for much the same concerns over human rights. But last April, the Obama administration did agree to something similar. How'd that go? A Reuters investigation found the Chinese regime wasn’t really even bothering to fill out the necessary deportation paperwork when they were nabbing up tens of thousands of Chinese immigrants.
So who can you blame for this sorry state of affairs? The Chinese Communist Party. It’s the regime that murders its own citizens for their organs. They should be viewed as an international pariah, like North Korea. But because they know how to hit just the right balance of panda-giving and citizen-kidnapping, while also being the world’s leading manufacturer of cheap stuff, other countries just can’t seem to get enough of them.
So what do you think about the Canadian government cozying up with the Chinese regime? Leave your comments below.
