(1) Huawei 

Our top security and intelligence experts, China scholars and former diplomats have issued very serious warnings about Huawei’s threats to our national security, sovereignty, democracy and commercial interests. 

 

• Do you agree with banning Huawei equipment from our 5G networks?

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• If you don’t, do you favour Canada’s withdrawal from the Five Eyes Allies? 

 

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(2) Canadian Hostages – the political impasse

China has unlawfully detained our two Michaels in unknown locations with bogus charges. They were deprived with sleep, legal access to lawyers, adequate consulate visits and family contacts. Beijing also arbitrarily barred our agriproduct imports, an obvious economic coercion against Canada.

 

• Do you agree that merely seeking diplomatic solutions with such a thuggish government to solve the existing political impasse with China is not enough and unrealistic? 

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• Do you agree there is simply no way to reset and realign the Canada-China relation on an equal footing with hostages in the hand of the PRC? What solution(s) does your party or do you have for the early release of the two Michaels? 

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• In order to secure the release of our two Michaels, should Ottawa diversify its efforts beyond diplomacy? Such measures could include stopping all official Canadian delegations and visits to China; stopping all the visitors’ visas issued to Chinese delegations or visitors from China travelling on official passports; and alerting the rest of the world that PRC’s hostage-taking could also be used on any other countries, as well as calling out the PRC at international and multilateral platforms, such as the WTO, regarding their business malpractices, such as counterfeits, industry espionage, corporate spying and patent infringements.

 

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(3) Canada-China relations: the clash of fundamental values 

The PRC has a track record of not honouring its international agreements and rulings such as the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the South China Sea Arbitration. Many Canadians had been co-opted by UFWD to do the bid for Beijing in the past decades. The former Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs showed contempt for Canadian journalists and sneered at our freedom of the press. And so many more…  

 

• Do you believe that China is too big for Canada to stand up to like some people say, “We need China – and China doesn’t need us” or that we are only “a flea sitting on China’s shoulder”?

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• To what extent would you think Canada should do a realistic reassessment of our relationship with the PRC and on what grounds and principles should we re-set or re-establish Canada-China relations?

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• Do you believe that Canada could and should think of more creative ways to punch above our weight class when dealing with the thuggish but gigantic powerhouse of the PRC so as to maintain a more realistic and mature Canada China relation? If so, what are the ways proposed by your party or you personally to achieve this?

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• Do you agree that the Beijing regime’s bullying and thuggish behaviour is unacceptable, that it is eroding the rules-based international order; therefore, Canada should halt and rethink our “engagement policy” with China? 

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(4) The Australian model: countering the PRC interference 

Australia introduced in 2018 a series of legislative and administrative measures to counter the PRC interference, including a foreign interference law that broadens the definition of espionage and criminalizes covert activities on behalf of a foreign power to influence a government process or the exercise of democratic rights in Australia. 

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• How serious do you think the PRC’s interference is in Canada? 

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• Do you support a similar foreign interference law in Canada, especially the criminalization of covert activities on behalf of a foreign power? If yes, why so? If not, why not?

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The Australian measures also include a Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme. Australians who act on behalf of foreign principals must register and identify the foreign principals. For the rest of their life, former ministers must report any connections with foreign principals. The requirement also applies to senior office holders, e.g. former MPs, retired ambassadors and senior civil servants, for 15 years.   

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• Do you agree that Canada should adopt a similar “Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme”? If yes, why so? If not, why not?

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The Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) has warned university executives about the risk of being co-opted by the CCP when engaging China. At the same time, their Immigration Department scrutinizes the applications of scientists from China to work in their universities more closely. 

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They have also established a university foreign interference task force. Universities will be required to work with security agencies to counter foreign interference and survey their students about freedom of speech on campus. The task force is to help universities to strengthen cyber defences, protect sensitive research and intellectual property, and to ensure that the collaboration with foreign individuals or organizations does not harm national interests.

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• Do you agree that Canada should take similar measures with our universities and colleges? Would your party be willing to provide adequate funding for such initiatives?