Key absences in vote to declare Chinese genocide

Canada’s House of Commons voted Monday to declare that China is committing genocide against more than 1 million Uighurs in the western Xinjiang region, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Cabinet abstained from the vote.

The nonbinding motion passed 266-0 as virtually all but Trudeau and his Cabinet voted for the measure that also called on the International Olympic Committee to move the 2022 Winter Olympics from Beijing.

A senior government official said that Canada’s foreign minister will make the government’s position clear but said declaring something in Parliament is not going to adequately get results in China and that work with international allies and partners is needed.