Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino has conceded that there could be more Chinese police stations operating in Canada, despite claiming last month that they had all been shut down by the RCMP.
Mendicino made the admission on CTV’s Question Period on Sunday, when he was asked about the reports that the stations in question continue to exist.
“I am confident that the RCMP have taken concrete action to disrupt any foreign interference in relationship to those so-called police stations, and that if new police stations are popping up and so on, that they will continue to take decisive action going forward,” said Mendicino.
“Our expectation is that if those activities manifest, if there is foreign interference, that yes, the RCMP will take decisive action as they have in the past.”
The allegations of the Chinese police stations first surfaced earlier this year, based on a report by a Spanish human rights organization called Safeguard Defenders.
The report claimed that the Chinese government had set up more than 100 police stations in over 50 countries as part of a global campaign to “persuade” people to return to China to face charges.
In March the RCMP announced it was investigating four groups across the country for allegedly being used by the Chinese government to harass or coerce people identified as fugitives or dissidents.
The Chinese government has since denied the allegations and said that the police stations were legitimate service centres for overseas Chinese citizens.
Some of the groups under investigation have confirmed that they are providing legal assistance or consular services to their members.
Two of the groups in Montreal — Service a la Famille Chinoise du Grand Montreal and Centre Sino-Quebec de la Rive-Sud — recently told the Canadian Press that they had not received any closure requests from the RCMP and that their activities were proceeding normally.
The Conservatives have accused the Liberal government of dragging its feet when it comes to dealing with the issue, especially by not moving more quickly to establish a foreign agent registry.
Last week, Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of “stalling” on the issue.
“He’s stalling on a foreign agent registry, he won’t shut down illegal police stations, and he doesn’t have the courage to call a national public inquiry,” said Lantsman.
“Why would anyone believe he takes national security seriously?”
A former Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) chaplain believes the military has been made less operationally effective with the mandating of Covid shots.
Rev. Dr. Major (Ret.) Harold Ristau, who served as a chaplain with the CAF for 11 years, echoed similar concerns lawyer Catherine Christianson had during a recent testimonial at the National Citizens’ Inquiry – namely that Canada has lost some of its best soldiers during the Covid debacle.
“It’s seriously dangerous to force soldiers to ignore their convictions, from both a spiritual and psychological perspective,” Ristau told True North in a phone interview on May 12th from Kenya, where he moved his family to work as a missionary.
The Canadian Armed Forces' requirements for religious exemption to COVID shots were so onerous, "Jesus Christ would not have qualified" says Dr. Major (Ret.) Harold Ristau; he says the CAF's operational effectiveness has been affected as the most conscientious soldiers quit. pic.twitter.com/6lZDW2kSj0
— Road Warrior News (@RoadWarriorNew1) May 12, 2023
Ristau notes that a soldier being “good to go” on the front line of the battlefield involves healthy spiritual, mental and psychological resilience: the ability to bounce back from trauma. When soldiers lack resilience, they are prime candidates for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“Soldiers’ mental and spiritual health is affected by three variables: strong values that are supported by the chain of command; confidence in who they are, what they do, and personally believing in the mission; and that as individuals, they matter in the role that they play in the mission,” he explains.
In October of 2021, as the brand new Covid injections were being rolled out, soldiers who did not want to receive the shot for any reason – medical or religious – were in moral distress, yet the government initially forbade chaplains from providing any direction or guidance. Ristau described this rollout of events in detail as a witness at a Citizens’ Hearing in 2022. The Citizens’ Hearings were a precursor to the National Citizens’ Inquiry happening across Canada currently.
Since that time, public messaging has been confusing: while Prime Minister Trudeau and others now maintain they “never forced anyone to get vaccinated,” this was not the message received by CAF members who were shunned and publicly ridiculed if they declined the Covid shot.
As recently as April 3, 2023, the CAF website reads, “If you have not received at least a two-dose series of COVID immunization, we advise you to book your appointment as soon as possible. In the exceptional case that you are unable to be vaccinated due to a prohibited ground under the Canadian Human Rights Act, such as a medical contraindication, you may request accommodation.”
CAF members who wished to decline the injections were only allowed to make exemption requests for two reasons: medical and religious.
“Medical exemptions made no sense, because most CAF members are in excellent physical shape,” Ristau points out.
That left only the religious option. However, CAF chaplains were basically forbidden from fulfilling their mandate, which is to guide members through these religious, ethical and moral questions.
Chaplains eventually were permitted to make recommendations for or against religious exemptions, but only in accordance with a “strict and laughable” assessment tool, which made it so difficult to achieve an exemption that only two chaplains in the entire CAF were approved. “The religious exemption route was an absolute farce. Even my Lord Jesus Christ probably wouldn’t have qualified for religious exemption,” Ristau notes.
Ultimately, Ristau says, the Government of Canada was judging whether a church’s teaching was aligned with the mainstream media narrative and pharmaceutical messaging at the time. Registered Christian denominations were flagged if they held a position that was not fully supportive of the vaccine mandates.
Chaplains who spoke against this were immediately silenced, according to Ristau. They were pressured to refrain from any moral, ethical or religious discussions on the Covid injection. Instead, they were expected to judge whether a military member’s faith claims were real and whether their religion was, in their opinion, credible.
As a result, Ristau says, these mandatory vaccinations have resulted in Canada losing some of its best, most conscientious and courageous troops.
“The CAF seeks to attract and develop soldiers who are willing to die for their convictions.”
“Certainly, you want soldiers to follow orders, but not blindly and without conditions, as that is destructive to both the individual and the larger Canadian security. Questioning and violating our soldiers’ consciences is basically the worst thing you can do to them, psychologically and spiritually.”
People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier is running for a seat in the House of Commons in Manitoba’s Portage–Lisgar byelection.
Next, Conservative and Liberal MPs are supporting Taiwan’s efforts to be given observer status at the upcoming World Health Assembly in Geneva.
Also, A former senior official at CSIS has called for jail time for those involved in Chinese interference in Canadian elections for charges of treason.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Rachel Emmanuel and Andrew Lawton!
Seven years ago, when she was premier, Alberta’s NDP leader Rachel Notley was getting plaudits for how she was handling the province’s wildfires.
One of the many admirers of the job Notley was doing at the time was future and current Alberta pPemier Danielle Smith, leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP).
Smith even called the then NDP premier’s communication “brilliant” in comparison to how the Progressive Conservative government of Allison Redford handled the 2013 floods around Calgary that forced more than 100,000 people from their homes and totalled as much as $6 billion in financial losses.
Vote Compass users were asked on May 9-11 who they thought would do the best job in the face of a natural disaster.
Almost half of the respondents — 49% — picked NDP Notley over Smith as who would do the best job responding to a natural disaster.
Only 15% would want Smith in charge of Alberta in a natural disaster, according to the weighted results of about 3,000 people who responded to Vote Compass.
Thirty-six per cent didn’t know.
While 81% of NDP supporters think Notley would do a good job responding to a natural disaster, only 52% of UCP voters think Smith is the best person for the job in a crisis.
Forty-four per cent of UCP supporters who used Vote Compass, in fact, didn’t know who would do the best job responding to a natural disaster in Alberta.
Last Thursday, at a Calgary campaign announcement about affordability for Alberta’s pensioners, an earnest-looking Smith first announced that 300 soldiers would help support fighting “these unprecedented fires” before pledging to cut fees for personal registry services, camping and medical driving exams for seniors by 25%.
Undoubtedly, handling the province-wide state of emergency declaration and electioneering requires nimble political skill.
“There’s no question it’s an opportunity,” said Lori Williams with Mount Royal University’s department of policy studies, “but it’s also potentially a liability.”
Vote Compass data suggests that when the wildfires started, Smith was at a disadvantage politically with many respondents preferring her rival for Alberta’s top job in charge during a natural disaster.
Vote Compass, by the way, is an online tool developed by a team of political scientists designed to help users understand how their political views line up with the parties running in Alberta’s general election.
“There are serious questions being asked about Danielle Smith’s abilities and competence,” Williams told CBC News on Thursday.
But Williams added the crisis presents an opportunity for Smith to “demonstrate a greater degree of competence and ability to respond” to a natural disaster.
Notably, slightly more than four in 10 (41%) of Vote Compass users give the governing United Conservative Party a somewhat good or very good grade for handling the fires burning now.
About the same number — 43% — think the UCP is doing a somewhat or very poor job handling the response to the out-of-control fires ravaging northern Alberta.
Fifteen per cent said they didn’t know.
On Saturday, Alberta’s leading political parties made competing vows related to health care, with the United Conservatives promising investments into care for women and children as the New Democrats pledged hefty recruitment bonuses to attract more health workers to the province.
Notley, meanwhile, said if her party gains power in the May 29 election, it would earmark $70 million annually to give $10,000 signing bonuses for doctors, nurses and other health professionals in what she called an ambitious but “critical short-term measure to keep our hospitals open and ensure Albertans in need of care are getting it.”
New polling numbers released Saturday by Abacus Data show the NDP ahead in a provincewide survey, including notable gains in Calgary. The data, based on a survey of 885 eligible voters shows roughly 43% favour the NDP, while the UCP sits at 35%
Abacus’s last poll in April had the two parties neck-and-neck at 36%.
Conservative and Liberal Members of Parliament joined Taiwanese leaders on Saturday in Toronto as they called for Taiwan to be given observer status at the upcoming World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Speaking to True North, the director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Toronto, Jin-Ling Chensaid, “Taiwan has sent a very clear message that we urge the World Health Organization Director General Tedros (Adhanom) Ghebreyesus to invite Taiwan to join the WHA as an observer.”
“Excluding the Taiwanese people from joining this system is unjust, it is unfair and it’s also dangerous to global health issues,” Chen said. “This is our short-term and more urgent target we want to make to the Canadian government and also the world.”
The event was co-hosted by the Overseas Community Affairs Council of the Republic of China and TECO. The Republic of China is the formal name of Taiwan, and is distinct from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). After the press conference, attendees joined in a car parade which concluded on the front lawn of Queen’s Park.
Canada does not formally recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state and adheres to the “One China” policy imposed by the Communist Party of China, which views Taiwan as part of the Communist-controlled PRC.
Because Canada does not have formal diplomatic relations with the island nation, TECO operates as a de facto consulate in Canada.
Director General Chen stressed that Saturday’s press conference was not political.
“We think this is a global health issue. Not a political issue,” Chen told True North.
Liberal MP Judy Sgro told True North that politics is a factor in the ongoing debate around Taiwan but similarly stressed that MPs on both sides of the House support Taiwan’s presence at the World Health Assembly.
“Is there politics behind a lot of this? Clearly,” Sgro said. “China does not want Taiwan to have any access to anything and that is a barrier that prevents their access, as far as I’m concerned and for all I know. Our prime minister and our party as well as all the other parties in the house of commons, we are all very supportive of Taiwan getting access and we just keep up the campaign and we’re hopeful that is going to happen.”
Liberal MPs Salma Zahid and John McKay were also present on Saturday.
Representing the Conservative Party was the deputy leader and Thornhill MP Melissa Lantsman along with MP Michael Cooper, the Conservatives’ democratic reform critic.
Lantsman read prepared remarks to the audience on behalf of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
The remarks included references to China’s ongoing aggression and military posturing over the Strait of Taiwan and the CCP-backed intimidation campaign against Conservative MP Michael Chong.
“We need to do everything to support Taiwan and in support of a message of human rights, of liberty, of freedom, of the rule of law and that includes standing up for the participation of Taiwan in the World Health Organization,” Lantsman said.
“(Taiwan) is under attack. We see it in the skies above Taiwan, we see it in the seas around Taiwan, we see it in Taiwan itself and we see that another dictatorship is targeting innocent Canadians of Taiwanese descent right here on our own soil in our own country and that will always be unacceptable. Even in our House of Commons, the pinnacle of Canadian democracy, we see the known harassment of a member of parliament’s family.”
Cooper railed against the CCPs “bullying” of Taiwan within international organizations like the WHO.
“There is only one reason why Taiwan has been excluded for these past six years and that is because of Beijing’s bullying.”
Speaking to True North, Cooper took issue with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s handling of the sensitive diplomatic dispute.
“We have a prime minister that is at best reluctant to express any kind of support for Taiwan. In fact the prime minister didn’t even utter the word Taiwan for several years during the time for which he has been prime minister,” Cooper said. “It’s really unfortunate that Canada has been silent at this important time.”
When the World Health Assembly gathers at the end of the month in Geneva, observer nations will discuss the controversial global accord on pandemic prevention planned for 2024, commonly known as the global pandemic treaty.
The Canadian government is “working closely” with other countries to develop this treaty which the government describes as a mechanism that will “improve global cooperation, strengthen collective action and accountability and address gaps in pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.”
Asked by True North if a Conservative government would support Canada’s involvement in a future United Nations-led global pandemic treaty, Cooper voiced skepticism.
“I would be very skeptical at this present time and I will have to see what happens during the negotiations, but it is important that we make health decisions for Canadians. And the Government of Canada puts the interests of Canadians first.”
A search for the remains of two Indigenous women at a Winnipeg-area landfill could take up to three years and cost as much as $184 million, says a study examining whether a successful search is possible.
The study, obtained by The Canadian Press, looked at the various scenarios and challenges that come with searching a landfill and concluded a canvass of the Prairie Green landfill is feasible.
The feasibility study warns of “considerable risks” in a search due to exposure to toxic chemicals and asbestos, but that forgoing the search could be more harmful for the families of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran — the two First Nations women who Jeremy Skibicki is accused of murdering.
Skibicki, a 35-year-old Winnipeg man with deeply seated white supremacist inclinations, was first charged with the first-degree murder of a First Nations woman, Rebecca Contois, whose body was found at the City of Winnipeg’s Brady Road landfill in June 2022.
Winnipeg police have said they believe Harris and Myran are somewhere within Prairie Green, a private landfill in the rural municipality of Rosser just north of Winnipeg.
An Indigenous-led committee spearheaded by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs commissioned the feasibility study after police said they would not be searching the Prairie Green site because of the passage of time and the large volume of material deposited there.
The committee included family members, First Nations leaders, forensic experts and representatives from the province and the city.
The study says it’s not guaranteed a search would locate the women’s remains, and could take one to three years and would cost $84 million to $184 million.
It’s like betting the farm on a couple of ghosts.
But, Cathy Merrick, grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, said that not conducting the search would send a dark message to First Nations people across the country that Canada’s governments condone the act of disposing of their women in landfills.
“It breaks my heart to say these words: disposing of our women in landfills,” she said.
“These women were all loved, they were cherished. Families should not feel like the odds are stacked against them in bringing closure to their grief.”
The report says police believe the women’s remains were left in a garbage bin three days apart in early May 2022. The contents of the dumpster were sent to the Prairie Green landfill on May 16.
Skibicki has been charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of the three women, as well as a fourth who remains unidentified but whom Indigenous leaders have named Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman.
Police have not found her remains.
The feasibility report says governments should consider the potential societal costs of conducting a search, including the emotional impact on families.
“Nothing about a potential search of this size and scale is easy, and the toll on the families and First Nations and Indigenous communities must be considered with the appropriate supports being made available,” it says.
“Until Marcedes and Morgan are properly returned home, these women, their families and all our communities endure a sacrilege.”
Back on May 4, the federal minister responsible for Crown-Indigenous relations said the study had been completed into whether it’s possible for a Winnipeg-area landfill to be searched for the remains of two Indigenous women.
Marc Miller’s office, however, did not release any details from the feasibility study and said in a statement that it’s being reviewed.
Ottawa provided $500,000 to the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs to study a search at the Prairie Green landfill, just north of Winnipeg.
In order to proceed with a search, Prairie Green would need to submit a proposal to a regulatory body to approve the excavation and transportation of materials.
That report was submitted last week to Miller’s office.
A majority of Canadians believe that schools should be obliged to inform parents and guardians that their child wants to switch genders.
According to a recent Leger poll commissioned by SecondStreet.org, 57% of Canadians agree that schools have the duty to inform parents about a child’s desire to change their gender or pronouns.
In comparison, only 18% of people polled believe that schools should not be required to inform parents or guardians. Another 25% of people responded that they didn’t know.
Additionally, nearly half (47%) of Canadian voters said that schools should be making teaching materials on race and gender available to review for parents ahead of time before they are introduced in the classroom.
When asked the same question, 31% said they do not believe it should be a requirement and 22% said they do not know.
In a press release, SecondStreet.org President Colin Craig said that trends should convince governments to change gears when it comes to the direction of education.
“The number of Canadians who think the system is going in the wrong direction has jumped significantly over the last couple years,” said Craig.
“Governments would be wise to examine what’s driving this change and consider alternative options to support parents, including options outside of the public school system.”
When Canadians were asked whether public education was heading in the right direction, 51% of those polled said that the schooling system was heading in the wrong direction.
On the other hand, only 25% of respondents agreed that it was deaded in the right direction, about the same number as the 24% who did not know how to respond.
Several school boards in Canada have introduced policies which require teachers and staff to not inform parents about students undergoing a gender transition unless requested to do so.
A guide released by the Renfrew County District School Board last year instructs teachers to hide the gender identity of kids from parents and guardians regardless of age if requested.
“Regardless of age or grade, staff must keep a student’s gender identity and gender expression status confidential unless the student gives explicit consent to inform the parent(s)/guardian(s), or there is a specific ‘need to know’ (e.g., to fulfill a specific accommodation request),” wrote staff.
On May 6th, Canada formally received our new King, Charles III, by the grace of God, King of Canada. In an ancient ceremony filled with beauty, goodness, and truth. Watched by hundreds of millions of people. A joyous occasion that was rightly celebrated in our country (if somewhat mildly to the chagrin of monarchists everywhere).
But amidst the revelry, the debates about monarchy and its usefulness erupted once more.
There are a plethora of reasons given for why we should ditch the crown. And I would like to gently and yet emphatically implore my fellow Canadians that we reject the Monarchy at our grave peril.
A few points of order to start: Canada does not “have ties to the British monarchy.” We have our own, a distinct, Canadian monarchy – we have since the 1930s.
Secondly, and as a result, Canada does not have a “British King” for its head of state. We have a Canadian King as our head of state. Charles has Canadian citizenship, and is a Canadian through and through, visiting here dozens of times.
And thirdly, Canada is a Kingdom. A constitutional monarchy – founded on the British Westminster system, with the Prime Minister as the head of the Government (laws) and the King is the head of State (authority and dignity).
So, with those qualifiers and nuances out of the way, I really want to implore my fellow Canadians that to dump this treasure would be horrific.
Everything about Canada is inextricably tied with not just the monarchy as it is today, but with the institution itself. Since well before Confederation. The First Nations that lived here long before any white man showed up lived in tribes, headed by chiefs.
Then when the French came, they brought with them their own Kings. And of course, the British after that. The blood of Canada is kingly (and even more so queenly).
Our entire system of laws and traditions is built upon the foundation of the British system. All of it coming from the seal of the King (or Queen).
The names of nearly everything in Canada are French, Indigenous or British. Roads, highways, airports, theatres, universities, parks, rivers, islands, provinces, countless buildings, I could go on – all named after our current or past monarchs. Current or past members of the royal family. Current or past members of the civilizations that gave birth to ours.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian legion, etc. It is the King that our armed forces swear allegiance to, not the Prime Minister (thank heavens).
Our holidays, like Canada Day – Dominion Day as it ought to be still called – was the day that Canada, with the help of the British who helped build this nation, gave us birth in 1867. Under the consent of Queen Victoria, known as the Mother of Confederation. The May 24 weekend is held in her honour.
All our currency bears familiar images: the beaver, the caribou, the Bluenose. But on the reverse side – since well before 1867, it has borne the image of a monarch. Very soon, it will feature King Charles’ image. Our Canadian King. Imagine the people our politicians would slap on our coins given the chance.
The Monarchy stands apart from, and above, politics. The King is the person to whom we can all toast and cheer, bugger the Prime Minister whomever he may be. It is a living, physical incarnation of the nation and all our laws and traditions. A living embodiment of all of us.
Unlike having a piece of paper, or an idea as our unifying ideal – we have a person, a family. With blood in their veins. That we can talk to, shake the hand of, stick a crown on. A book, a piece of paper, an idea can’t love you. It can’t hope, or hurt, or serve.
Monarchy was not invented by some intellectual in a lab, or a university class. It is ancient, full of a deep wisdom that speaks to a truth.
Politicians grasp at fleeting power, while His Majesty is carrying thousands of years of authority, tradition, law within him.
One of the only things all humans have in common is the accident of each of our birth – and it seems fitting that we select the person to lead us based on such a universal trait.
While nations all around the world trade presidents, constitutions, and politicians like children trade hockey cards – Canada’s monarchy stands a near permanent fixture among the chaos. Safeguarding our rights as best as it can.
King Charles has promised to give us all of the rest of his life to our service. To love us. And he means it, utterly and completely. Could one say the same about any politician? About any other kind of celebrity?
If we cut ourselves off from our monarchical system, we will cut ourselves off from our history. From everything that makes Canada, Canada. The blood of who we are would cease to flow. Replaced by some system that was cooked up in a modern university somewhere. Does anyone truly think that would be better for us? Look at their most recent destruction of the Canadian passport for all the proof you need that we should keep what we have.
We should wholly and completely resist republican sentiment in this country. And even more so, politicians who attempt to place the crown on their head.
In the words of the famous author C.S. Lewis: “Where men are forbidden to honour a king they honour millionaires, athletes, or film-stars instead: even famous prostitutes or gangsters. For spiritual nature, like bodily nature, will be served; deny it food and it will gobble poison.”
With week two of the 2023 Alberta provincial election campaign coming to a close, Rachel Emmanuel is joined by Canadian Taxpayers Federation Alberta Director Kris Sims, Crestview Strategies Senior Campaign Strategist Evan Menzies, and UCP Senior Campaign Advisor Erika Barootes to discuss the top campaign moments of the week.
UCP leader Danielle Smith was noticeably absent this week to respond to the wildfires in the province’s north, while Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley used the crisis to launch partisan attacks at her opponent.
Both Smith and Notley are appealing to voters through tax cuts announcements, public safety strategies, and other cost saving measures. Are voters paying attention?
Election Watch, a special edition of the Alberta Roundup, will run for the four week election campaign. Tune in now!
The Covid-19 pandemic underscores the need for accessible and equitable healthcare worldwide. Yet, despite the United Nations Charter declaring health as a universal right for all, Taiwan’s 23 million people are still excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) due to Chinese government pressure, violating their fundamental right to healthcare.
China argues against Taiwan’s entry into the World Health Organization (WHO), claiming Taiwan lacks statehood and that it represents Taiwanese people within the organization.
However, Taiwan is a fully sovereign state, and communist China has never ruled Taiwan and never contributed to Taiwan’s healthcare needs.
China’s recent military exercises against Taiwan following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August 2022 and President Tsai Ing-Wen’s meeting with current US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles in April this year further refutes Beijing’s claim to represent and protect the interests of Taiwan’s people at the WHO. It is absurd that a regime threatening the health and safety of Taiwan’s people claims to represent them in the organization.
The exclusion of Taiwan from the WHO is not only unfair, but it also politicizes global health issues, which undermines the global response to public health crises.
Despite this exclusion, Taiwan has demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting global health and has made significant contributions to the worldwide health system, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, Taiwan has developed medical countermeasures to COVID-19, strengthening its capacity to innovate critical drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Since the Covid-19 outbreak, Taiwan has issued 13 export licenses for its herbal formula NRICM101 (Taiwan Chingguan Yihau) to help countries in the region combat the pandemic.
In addition to its efforts during the pandemic, Taiwan has actively participated in international humanitarian aid and disaster relief efforts, further demonstrating its commitment to global health and well-being.
After the war in Ukraine broke out, Taiwan assisted three Ukraine cities with the purchase of power generation and heating equipment and donated millions of dollars to procure equipment that will provide relief to frontline residents hit by the ravages of war.
Moreover, after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6 this year, the people and government of Taiwan have also donated more than US$40 million to help people affected by the disaster. It is, therefore, essential for Taiwan to participate in the WHO to strengthen global health efforts, identify and address emerging health threats, and ensure access to necessary resources and support.
The recent visit to Taiwan by the Canadian parliamentary delegation led by the Hon. John McKay shows Canada’s support for Taiwan, and underscores Taiwan’s crucial role in regional and global prosperity and stability. As the world’s 21st largest economy, Taiwan’s contribution to the global supply chain, particularly as a major supplier of advanced semiconductors, is of utmost importance.
Moreover, Taiwan is one of Canada’s fastest-growing trading partners. Millions of Taiwanese tourists travel to various destinations each year, promoting international trade, tourism and cultural exchange. These facts underline Taiwan’s significance as a global citizen and underscore the necessity of its inclusion in the WHO.
The upcoming annual WHA, the decision body of the WHO, is fast approaching.
Despite health being a universal human right, Taiwan remains excluded from the WHO system.
With a war currently underway in Europe due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s territorial integrity, it is crucial that Canada and the democratic world send a clear message that inclusivity and unity are pivotal in fostering a healthier and safer world. It is important to avoid indifference toward this goal. The WHO cannot sacrifice its principle of universality for the sake of obedience to Beijing.
It’s time, now more than ever, to support Taiwan’s participation in the WHA as an observer, as well as in all WHO meetings, activities, and mechanisms.
