QUESTION PERIOD — Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Protection of Journalists Overseas
December 12, 2019
Leader, I think this will be my last question for you as Leader of the Government in the Senate. I think I’ll miss you. I liked asking you questions, even though I wasn’t always happy with the answers. That is all part of the game.
The Journal de Québec reported yesterday that at least 250 journalists are behind bars around the world, especially in China. This is one of the authoritarian regimes that has little patience for independent media. A number of journalists are accused of publishing fake news or being enemies of the state. This was reported by the Committee to Protect Journalists, based in New York. How does Canada plan on sanctioning China for imprisoning journalists?
I thank the honourable senator for his question. It reminds me of my first, early days here, when he was the regular questioner and always asked, I thought, rather good questions, which, of course, challenged my answers. As he reminded me, it was called Question Period, not Answer Period.
The question he raises is one that is very important to Canadians, and it’s part of the whole concern with respect to the fabric of freedom, democratic expression and human rights. The treatment of journalists is one that is of concern, not just to the Government of Canada, but to parliamentarians and average Canadians. I am always impressed with the way in which Canadian leadership of PEN International has highlighted the international concern for journalists in particular in authoritarian countries. That concern is one that is often raised here on PEN’s Day by a number of senators, and I think that should be continued.
What I can point to is that the Government of Canada has continued to raise issues of specific concern with regard to journalists with the offending parties and will continue to do so, but the vigilance is part of our collective requirement to be vigilant in particular in the concern for journalists because they, through their work, are essentially telling us what is really going on.