As China pressed over Russia stance, Canada’s MPs revive special committee on ties
Global News
China is under increasing global scrutiny over its lack of condemnation and continued trading ties with Russia despite that country's unprovoked and bloody invasion of Ukraine.
Canadian opposition parties on Monday voted to revive the high-profile special committee studying Canada’s ties with China.
The Liberal cabinet and caucus opposed the motion to bring back the committee, which had been put forward by the Conservatives. But with NDP and Bloc Quebecois support, the motion passed.
That special committee will be tasked with studying “all aspects of the Canada-People’s Republic of China relationship including but not limited to diplomatic, consular, legal, security and economic relations.”
It will be made up of 12 members: six from the Liberals, four from the Conservatives, one from the Bloc and one from the NDP, and all the evidence heard during the predecessor special committee on Canada-China relations is now going to be referred to the new incarnation of the committee.
A first organizational meeting will take place within one week of the other special committee, currently probing Canada’s response to the Taliban seizing of Afghanistan, wrapping its final report.
That is expected to happen in the coming weeks.
The motion to create the committee also included an unusual provision that appears to take aim at filibustering, which Liberal MPs on committees have used several times over the past year during debate on calls to summon witnesses from the government including political staff.
That provision states that when the committee is studying a motion “to exercise the committee’s power to send for persons, papers and records,” that debate will come to an end either after four hours of debate or one sitting week after the motion was first moved.