Canada has spent more than $1 million in educational aid to universities in China over the past five years, outpacing postsecondary grants to several of the world’s poorest countries, records obtained by Parliament show.Documents tabled at the request of Conservative MP Lianne Rood reveal that Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs paid $1,116,507 in educational grants to China, including $806,257 for postsecondary institutions. By comparison, postsecondary schools in Gabon received $701,608, Bangladesh $675,150, and Burma $664,939. Blacklock's Reporter said no explanation for the China payments was provided.The department acknowledged that compiling detailed information on foreign aid to China would be complex and potentially misleading, citing limits on time and available data. Over the past five years, Canada spent $2.5 billion in foreign aid to schools abroad..Conservative MPs say the money should never have been sent to China, citing human rights abuses, aggressive foreign policy, and a growing military and space presence. “I don’t believe Canadian taxpayers should be sending any money to China,” Opposition House Leader Andrew Scheer said. “We’re talking about a Communist dictatorial government that abuses human rights, quashes freedoms, violates rights of its citizens and has a very aggressive foreign policy all throughout the region.”.Scheer added that Ottawa must stand up to Beijing and defend Canadian interests on the global stage.Liberal MP Robert Oliphant, parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs, defended the spending as part of complex diplomatic relations.“Any relationship with China will be important with eyes wide open,” Oliphant said. “We have different systems, so we have to uphold our values while respecting their system as well.”.Due to a high level of spam content being posted, all comments undergo manual approval by a staff member during regular business hours (Monday - Friday). Your patience is appreciated.
