TRUDEAU HEADED TO CHINA NEXT WEEK

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says breathing new life into Canada’s relationship with China will allow his government to bolster economic trade while pushing the East Asian country to do better on delicate issues like its record on human rights.

“What we need with China is to reset the relationship a little bit,” Trudeau said Friday in Saguenay, Que., after wrapping up a Liberal caucus retreat in this picturesque region, 210 kilometres north of Quebec City.

Trudeau is heading to China for an official visit next week, and is vowing to handle things differently than the previous Conservative government, which he characterized as having a “hot and cold” approach.

He said he will broach how China can allow Canadian products and services greater access to its growing middle-class market, as well as thornier issues such as how the Chinese government can improve on human rights, governance and democracy.

China might want the rest of the world to see it has a friend in Canada, Trudeau suggested.

“Canada has earned a reputation as a country that stands up strongly and clearly for human rights, and working with Canada in a positive way will be very good for China to continue to demonstrate that it is serious about taking on the responsibilities that come with having an increasingly large footprint on the world stage.”

Still, the economic file alone — involving exports of canola — could end up posing its fair share of risks to the relationship.

Out of concerns about the spread of disease, the Chinese government has given Canada until Sept. 1 to reduce the level of dockage in its deliveries, but Canada has stood its ground, arguing scientific evidence shows the change will not affect the risks.

On Friday, a senior government official confirmed Trudeau intends to raise the canola dispute during his visit.