Despite basking in the glow of a successful Toyko Summer Olympics, more than six in 10 Canadians somewhat or completely support Canada boycotting the 2022 Beijing Winter Games..A poll released by CTV News in partnership with Nanos, shows the majority, 64%, of Canadians at the very least somewhat support boycotting the February Beijing-hosted Olympics..More than 70% of Ontarians aged 18 to 34 say Canada shouldn’t go. Just more than 50% of Quebecers stated their opposition and more than 60% of both Alberta and BC residents also agree China’s Games should be boycotted..This is not the first time Canada has shown disapproval over China’s practices. The House of Commons (HoC) began compiling evidence of China’s abuses against human rights specifically surrounding the Uyghurs via a study carried out by a subcommittee in 2018..During 2018, it was discovered through this study the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) had been detaining and torturing members of the Uyghur community and other Turkish Muslim communities. These detentions were dubbed “re-education camps” by the PRC..Because of what was learned through this study, the HoC released the following statement..“If the international community does not condemn the human rights abuses in Xinjiang province by the Government of China, a precedent will be set, and these methods will be adopted by other regimes. Complacency is entrenched by a lack of access to Xinjiang; by the lack of free press; and through the silencing and harassment of Uyghurs living abroad.”.The statement from the HoC went on to say that human rights violations are not only currently occurring, but seemed “to have reached a new level of severity.” This new level of severity is referring largely to the imposition of “barbaric methods to reduce Uyghur birth rates.”.The statement went on to specify these barbaric methods saying “including the forced intrauterine contraceptive devices as well as forced and coerced sterilizations and abortions.”.Another point of contention outside the Olympics between Canada and China is the ever-increasing sentences of the two Michael’s trapped in China — Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor — and the accompanying issues believed to be getting in the way of their release..As of August 9, the two Michael’s have been trapped by the PRC in prison for 951 days — December of 2021 will mark three full years in Chinese prison..Cong Peiwu, China’s ambassador to Canada, said to OMNI News August 6 “when we talk about our battered relationship, we can’t just not overlook the Meng Wanzhou incident, which is our main obstacle in our balancing [of] relationship.”.The current CFO and daughter of the founder of Chinese communications company Huawei Meng Wanzhou, was detained on December 1 2018, while arriving at the Vancouver International Airport..Canadian Border Services Agents questioned Wanzhou for three hours, and she ended up being arrested on a provisional American extradition request for fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud. The conspiracy to commit fraud charges resulted from a belief that Wanzhou was attempting to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Iran..Wanzhou has been held under house arrest in Vancouver at one of her family’s many North American properties. Unlike Wanzhou, the two Michael’s have been held in horrific conditions while being denied access to counsel..Jackie Conroy is a reporter for the Western Standard.jconroy@westernstandardonline.com
