Former MP: Trudeau needs point person on China

TORONTO – Calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “intemperate” mocking of U.S. President Donald Trump a major “setback” in freeing two Canadians imprisoned in China, former Liberal MP Dan McTeague says there’s one immediate move that could save the situation.

“The prime minister needs to appoint an elected member to be the key person to work on these situations,” said McTeague, the Pickering-Scarborough East federal member for almost two decades. “There should be a point person.”

For many years, McTeague was that person under the Chretien and Martin governments. He worked on dozens of cases.

Having one elected caucus member as a de facto minister on the files meant all best practices discovered were employed and all mistakes made were not repeated.

“These are complicated matters,” said McTeague. “You have to put your best foot forward.”

Trudeau’s comments at the NATO conference to the French and British leaders at Buckingham Palace about the United States president were not that.

“They were intemperate remarks,” McTeague said of Trudeau talking about Trump’s lengthy news conference. “It is a setback.”

When he saw the news, McTeague said he was stunned.

“I was crestfallen. My heart sank. This is ‘system’s running normal, all fouled up,’” he said.

The reason is “whether you like Trump or not, he is the key to getting the two Michaels out of China and has been working on it behind the scenes.”

The key to the whole thing is Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou being held in Vancouver awaiting extradition to the United States over her technology company doing business with Iran despite extreme sanctions not allowing such endeavours.

She is the key to getting the “two Michaels released” and “Trump is the key” to making all of that happen.