A group of Canadian conservatives said the country should develop better foreign policy to allow it to stand strong against dictatorships. .“Canada is not confronting China,” said Conservative Values Tomorrow (CVT) mentee Takdeer Brar in a Friday panel at the Canada Strong and Free Network (CSFN) National Conference. .“China is attacking Canada.” .Brar said Canada should cut off its relationship with China. He added China can be isolated by working with India. .Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman spoke about Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, describing it as ineffective. Lantsman said the one positive is China is being called out for what it is. .What she said should be central to foreign policy is energy. Canada is endowed with resources. .Macdonald-Laurier Institute senior fellow Kaveh Shahrooz said the Iran-Saudi Arabia deal is a mistake. Shahrooz said the deal happened because of a misguided view from the American government. .He said the Middle Eastern vote can be presented as a monolith. Conservatives should not worry about pandering to Muslims over Jews about the Middle East, as some of them will never vote for them. .Lantsman said there is a difference between right and wrong. These are the values Canadians should seek in foreign policy. .While the Canadian government has a feminist foreign policy, she said it has not stood up to dictatorships. People do not want to live in fear of regime activists in Canada. .Despite an international coalition supporting Ukraine, Shahrooz said there is “a growing, serious threat of a fringe right, pro-(Vladimir) Putin sentiment.” That threat can be observed in a segment of the Republican Party and Fox News host Tucker Carlson. .He implored people to not fall into isolationism and give into Russian propaganda. Conservatives have to push back. .“What Putin does, what dictatorships do abroad, actually affects us,” he said. .When the Liberals won in 2015, they said Canada is back on the world stage. Lantsman said most of that did not come to fruition. .The Conservative deputy leader went on to say it is Canada’s job to have a strong relationship with the United States. She said Canadian oil and gas can displace dictators. .Shahrooz noted all of these problems are the same. There is an alliance of dictatorships coming together. .He said people have to recognize it all as one general threat. The response to it is to be more engaged with allies. .Brar said opportunities are being missed out on because Canada does not have a strong military. He requested it build up military capacity. .This capacity will create good-paying, high quality jobs for people. Instead of having to get a PhD and spend hundreds of thousands in graduate fees, he said a worker can get a high-paying job making military goods. .Lantsman concluded by saying she wants to see “a foreign policy that actually is based on a conservative vision.” .“One of democracy, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law,” she said. .“Focused on our own security and what we can give the world.” .This panel comes after the House of Commons passed a motion Thursday calling for a public inquiry into Chinese election interference..READ MORE: MPs vote for a public inquiry into foreign election interference.The motion carried with 172 yays and 149 nays..Independent MP Han Dong (Don Valley North), who resigned from the Liberals on Wednesday over his alleged involvement with the Chinese government, voted for the inquiry.
