Delegation of Canadian MPs From All Parties to Visit Taiwan as Solidarity Gesture Amid Chinese Interference: Report

Liberal MP for Scarborough-Guildwood John McKay rises on a point of order following Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Feb. 17, 2011. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

A delegation of Canadian MPs from all official parties will visit Taiwan next month as a gesture of solidarity against the threat of foreign interference being carried out in both countries by Beijing, according to a news report.

The delegation will include Liberal MP John McKay, chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence, along with Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong, NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson, Bloc Québécois foreign affairs critic Stéphane Bergeron, and Conservative national defence critic James Bezan, the Globe and Mail reports.

McKay told the Globe the trip comes at a time when Canada can take lessons from the self-ruled island when it comes Chinese regime interference.

“I’d be interested to hear how they handle foreign interference, because I’m sure they’re a lot more adept and skilled at it than we are,” said McKay, alluding to recent allegations of Chinese interference in Canada’s 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

McKay said he views Taiwan as an “exemplary nation that respects the rule of law” and hopes the trip will serve “as encouragement for the government and people of Taiwan.”

“I think for us, the message is we respect the will of a democratic nation to live its [own] life.”

Beijing regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has taken steps to isolate it from the international community while making increasingly aggressive military threats toward the island nation.

Canada has not had official diplomatic relations with Taiwan since 1970 due to its ongoing “One China policy,” but the federal government acknowledges that Canada has “unofficial but valuable economic, cultural and people-to-people ties with Taiwan.”

Unofficial Diplomacy

The unofficial status of Canada’s relationship with Taiwan makes the visit by MPs all the more important, Chong said, noting that it will strengthen relations between democratic nations.

“It helps to reinforce the need to ensure peaceful relations across the Taiwan Strait,” he told the Globe. “These visits reinforce the relationship between democracies and Taiwan and make it clear any military action by China will not be without a price.”

A separate group of Canadian MPs from all parties visited Taiwan in October 2022—shortly after then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also made an official visit to the island nation, which sparked outrage from the communist regime in Beijing.

While Canada’s diplomacy with Taiwan remains unofficial, the Commons Special Committee on Canada–China Relations is expected to soon table a report recommending that the federal government strengthen Canada’s ties with Taiwan.

Titled “Canada and Taiwan: A Strong Relationship in Turbulent Times,” the report requests that the Liberal cabinet “table a comprehensive response” to its recommendations on the matter.

The MPs leave for Taiwan on April 9, according to the Globe. Their trip is being paid for by Taiwan.

Andrew Chen contributed to this report.