Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada stands with demonstrators in China protesting against Beijing’s “zero-COVID” policy and their right to self-expression.
“Canadians are watching very closely,” Trudeau said in Ottawa on Nov. 29. “Obviously everyone in China should be allowed to express themselves, should be allowed to share their perspectives, and, indeed, protest.”
“We’re going to continue to ensure that China knows we‘ll stand up for human rights, we’ll stand with people who are expressing themselves.”
On Nov. 28, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre asked in the House of Commons if the government would voice support for the demonstrators and advocate for their right to peaceful protest.
“Will they [the government] indicate to Beijing that the peaceful protests should be allowed to go ahead and that any crackdown should be resisted?” Poilievre asked during question period.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has yet to issue a statement on the protests. The Epoch Times contacted the Foreign Affairs Department for comment but didn’t receive a response by publication time.
Joly’s parliamentary secretary, Maninder Sidhu, responded to Poilievre’s question by saying Global Affairs Canada believes in “freedom of expression at home and abroad, including in China.”
“Protesters should be able to peacefully protest and share their views without fearing for their safety,” Sidhu said.
“China is an increasingly disruptive global power,” she said.
“They remind us that these universal values are for all,” he wrote.
“We remember the Tiananmen Square massacre of 5 June 1989. The world is watching.”
Conservative MP Garnett Genuis also took to Twitter in support of the protesters.
“In spite of an Orwellian system of constant surveillance and evaluation, people are out on the streets showing their faces and denouncing oppression. I hope they win.”
