CHINA DEAL A BAD IDEA
China’s premier, visiting Canada this month as part of an extraordinary warming of relations, calmly defended his country’s use of the death penalty. “It is consistent with our national condition,” Li Keqiang said. “If we abolish the death penalty, innocent people will lose their lives.”
We oppose the death penalty, while acknowledging that its supporters could perhaps mount an argument of this sort in a country with sturdy rule of law and respect for other human rights. But that’s not China.
China is the world’s single-most prolific executioner, although that’s only an educated guess because the true numbers are a closely guarded secret. Chinese laws allow for capital punishment for dozens of crimes, including corruption and bribery, in addition to more standard capital offences such as murder.
Such wide use of the death penalty is but one of many reasons Canada should not consider an extradition treaty with Beijing. Trade, academic exchanges — even, to some degree, security talks — may be an inevitable part of the diplomatic agenda, but an extradition pact is beyond the pale.
The spectre of such treaty arises after China’s recent release of Canadian Kevin Garratt, reportedly convicted of spying, after being imprisoned since 2014. His freedom came after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited China recently, just before Premier Li showed up here.
It’s known that China would like to get back a number of nationals who have fled abroad, including to Canada: its “Operation Fox Hunt” is broadly thought to include harassing socalled economic fugitives and political dissidents and their families outside its borders. The Middle Kingdom would like nothing better than to bring these troublemakers home.
Canada has extradition treaties with some countries that do have the death penalty, such as the United States. But we do not extradite to them without a guarantee that execution will not be used. Because the U.S. has a functioning, transparent and accountable judicial system, this works. But China? It tortures prisoners, Amnesty International says; it’s accused of harvesting organs from political prisoners; it holds secret trials; it persecutes minorities. And its system isn’t transparent.
“We recognize that Canada and China have different systems of law and order and different approaches,” Trudeau said. Sorry, these are not mere differences. These are impassably large chasms of principle.
Discussing an extradition treaty with a country that routinely flouts Canadian values would only debase those same principles. If “Canada is back” on the world stage in a meaningful way, it will take this idea no further.