Canada can trade with China and criticize its human rights record: Patrick Brown & More News Here

Conservative management candidate Patrick Brown says he believes Canada can advance its trade relationship with China whereas on the identical time take a stand towards its human rights abuses.

“I’m a firm believer that you can do both,” Brown stated in a current interview.

The Tories’ place towards the Communist regime was put into the highlight following final 12 months’s federal election the place, to the shock of many within the social gathering, it suffered losses in long-held seats round Vancouver and Toronto, which had been residence to many Chinese Canadians.

Ex-MP Kenny Chiu misplaced his Richmond-area seat and has stated he and the social gathering had been topic to falsehoods being unfold on-line a few personal member’s invoice he had superior. Conservative international affairs critic Michael Chong has additionally argued the social gathering misplaced seats due to home and international actors spreading disinformation.

Two McGill University researchers wrote in Policy Options earlier this 12 months that Chiu’s invoice, which aimed to arrange a public registry of people appearing on behalf of international nations, grew to become the goal of a misinformation marketing campaign on Chinese-language social media.

Benjamin Fung and Sze-Fung Lee warned that such ways could possibly be deployed towards any group and carry “high potential” for international interference in Canada’s electoral course of.

The debate nonetheless lingers in regards to the impacts of the misinformation on the social gathering’s destiny within the 2021 election. Former chief Erin O’Toole additionally ran on a vocal promise to undertake a harder stance than the Liberal authorities towards Beijing — one thing Brown stated wasn’t articulated clearly.

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“Because of the long-standing relationships I have in the community … I have posed that question. I said, ‘What happened?’” Brown said.

“The impression in the community was that the Conservative party was against the Chinese Canadian community. So I think there needs to be a clear distinction.”

Brown is relying on the ties he has to the country’s Chinese communities, as well as other immigrant groups and racialized Canadians, to win the leadership contest.

His campaign is focused on selling thousands of party memberships to supporters within the Chinese, Muslim, Tamil, Sikh, Filipino and Nepalese communities, with the deadline arriving Friday for memberships to be sold.

“My solely plan is to win this management,” said Brown, who is campaigning while still remaining in the role as mayor of Brampton, Ont., which is scheduled to have its own municipal election this fall.

“Based on the assist we’re getting across the nation and the brand new memberships, I really feel very assured we’re going to have the ability to achieve success.”

Included in Brown’s pitches to different cultural communities are promises to fix the immigration system and stand up for religious freedom and against all forms of discrimination like Islamophobia and anti-Asian racism.

Brown also announced last month he had secured the endorsement of the Chinese Canadian Conservative Association. After last year’s election loss, the National Post reported that the association called for O’Toole to resign in part over his position toward China.

Canada’s relationship to China has cooled considerably since residents went to the polls.

Shortly after the Liberals were re-elected to a minority last September, the regime released Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, two Canadians that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other world leaders said had been arbitrarily detained after the RCMP arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. extradition warrant.

So far, one of the main ways China has been discussed by the six candidates vying for O’Toole’s former job has been around Huawei Technologies, which they say Ottawa took too long to ban from its 5G telecom networks.

As well, Pierre Poilievre, the longtime MP from around Ottawa, has routinely attacked former Quebec premier Jean Charest for the work he did with Huawei after leaving politics. Scott Aitchison, an MP first elected in 2019, has also pledged that under his leadership, Canada would recognize Taiwan as its own sovereign, democratic country.

“I’ll defend Canadian pursuits and values when dealing with all nations, together with China,” Poilievre said in a statement.

Brown has focused all of his attacks so far in the race against Poilievre, alongside whom he used to serve as an MP before entering Ontario politics.

Compared to other candidates, Poilievre also boasts the largest number of endorsements from MPs.

A lingering question for many watching the race is how caucus will react to and rally behind whoever is named party leader when ballots are counted Sept. 10, especially since the contest has been full of personal attacks between campaigns.

Although Poilievre has more endorsements, Brown said he has long-standing relationships with MPs from his time in Ottawa and has been reaching out to some backing other campaigns about the importance of all coming together when the race is over.

As for the fate faced by O’Toole, who was voted out by a majority of his MPs, Brown said a review was to be expected after he lost the election. O’Toole had, among other things, attempted to change and modernize the party.

Brown said the challenge for O’Toole was that he took one position during the leadership race and then another after the contest.

“I plan on all the things I say within the management, with the ability to defend and take the identical positions after the management,” Brown stated.

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed June 1, 2022.