Beijing Games: Pressure mounts on Ottawa for deportation

Pressure is mounting on Canada to comply with the United States on Monday after announcing its intention not to send diplomatic representatives to Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Also read: The U.S. has announced a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Global Affairs Canada said in an email that it had informed the US government of the decision and that talks with Canada’s allies would continue.

However, Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino confirmed on Monday afternoon that diplomatic boycott was one of the “options” currently on the table.

Last February, parliament unanimously recognized that China was wreaking havoc on Uighurs in the western Xinjiang region. Only the Council of Ministers, including Justin Trudeau, was absent.

Strong pressure

John Parisella, former Delegate General of Quebec in New York, believes that the United States’ decision to “play games without risk” puts “strong” pressure on Canada and its traditional allies.

“Games are going to happen, athletes are going to attend, and a political ensemble that would benefit greatly from these kinds of events to organize diplomacy on a global scale would not exist,” he said. Said on LCN’s transmission waves.

The diplomatic boycott is already supported by all opposition parties, from the Conservative Party to the NDP. For Black Cubacois, this is the “bare minimum”, and the government should be asked to postpone the games, which it refused to do last week.

Jocelyn Coolen, a researcher at the Center for International Studies and Research at the University of Montreal (CÉRIUM), believes that “we do not have to follow the United States” because “we must first determine our reaction based on our own context.” ”.

“It simply came to our notice then. For example, the presence of a sports minister is an expression of our support for our athletes and a way to keep our communication with China open, ”Mr Coolen said in an email.

For an analyst who advised on international issues before Justin Trudeau took office, the most urgent thing is to appoint a new ambassador to China “quickly” to replace Dominic Barton, who announced his departure on Monday later this year.

The diplomatic boycott of the United States is considered “pure and straightforward political provocation” in China’s eyes, promising “firm resistance” in such a scenario.

In a statement posted on the Chinese Embassy website in Washington, D.C., the Chinese foreign minister said he had not even invited American diplomats to attend the Games.

“This wishful thinking and this completely democratic attitude are aimed at political manipulation,” said Zhao Lijian.