Ottawa aiding Cavalia employees jailed in China for alleged pot use
Two Quebecers detained in Beijing are receiving assistance from the federal government amid reports Friday that employees of the equestrian-themed show Cavalia had been arrested for alleged marijuana use.
“Consular services are being provided to two Canadians who were detained in Beijing, China, as well as to their families,” Global Affairs Canada spokesperson Jocelyn Sweet wrote in an email.
“Consular officials are in contact with local authorities to gather additional information.”
Radio-Canada reported two Quebecers were arrested at their Beijing hotel on July 14 and had been held in a Chinese jail since then.
Global Affairs did not confirm the details of the report nor the identity of the Canadians, citing privacy reasons.
A spokesman for Cavalia said Chinese officials had contacted the company to ask them to purchase plane tickets so some individuals could be repatriated.
Eric Paquette added the company is not confirming any other details of the report for privacy reasons.
“We don’t want to comment on this as a company, we don’t want to speak for these people. It’s their private lives, it’s their privacy,” he said in a phone interview.
“What we can say is, recently a Chinese representative contacted us and asked if we were willing to buy airplane tickets to quickly repatriate those individuals in their country. And, of course, Cavalia said yes.”
The Montreal-based company has been running its horse-themed theatrical shows in China since 2015. In 2016, Cavalia announced it was partnering with Chinese firm Gold-Finance to develop a new show to debut in 2018.