QUESTION PERIOD — Foreign Affairs
Canada-China Relations
February 9, 2021
Honourable senators, my question is for the government leader in the Senate. Senator Gold, considering China’s belligerent behaviour toward Canada, including the arbitrary detention of the two Michaels, their threats against Canadians, including parliamentarians, and their vengeful ban on Canadian canola, why did Prime Minister Justin Trudeau place his entire bet on China for vaccines instead of betting on Canada’s best and brightest?
Why does your leader, Justin Trudeau, have more admiration for and faith in the Communist Chinese regime than he does in Canadians?
Thank you for your question, but the assumptions and assertions in your question are simply not founded. Canada did not place all its bets in one manufacturing opportunity — quite the contrary: Canada secured contracts for the largest number of doses per citizen and resident than any country in the world.
With regard to the CanSino situation, which I believe is the initiative to which you’re referring, once the vaccine task force issued its revised expert opinion, the collaboration was ended with CanSino. It did not involve any transfer of sensitive Canadian technology, nor was any money paid under the agreement.
As I said before, the Canadian approach, which was multifaceted, proceeded to pursue the opportunities that I’ve already outlined.
Senator Gold, your government has secured millions and millions of vaccines, but we haven’t seen very many going into the arms of Canadians. China walked away from the CanSino deal shortly after it was struck. They did so after we had already held up our end of the deal and sent them vital information in developing a vaccine.
Why isn’t your leader out there every day calling them out for this? Why isn’t Justin Trudeau asking for an apology from the Chinese government? Instead, he’s issuing apologies to the Communist Party of China for some perceived slight over T‑shirts emblazoned with a rap logo.
Senator Gold, why is your government making apologies to China for anything right now, really? At what point do they apologize to us? It’s Canadians who deserve an apology from China. For that matter, Canadians deserve an apology from the Trudeau government.
Senator, this is not the first time — and given your persistence, I suspect it won’t be the last — that I find myself at pains to remind this chamber of the complex and multifaceted nature of our relationship with China and the work our government is doing with its allies to advance our interests and those of the free-speaking world. Indeed, in your question, you mentioned the two Michaels. You mentioned our significant export trade in canola: this but scratches the surface of the complexity of our issues.
This government remains committed to working with its democratic allies to address the very serious issues that China’s ambitions pose, not only for Canada but for the free world.
