Calls mount, frustration grows over Trudeau promise to help Hong Kong
OTTAWA — The federal government is facing increasingly frustrated and worried calls to help people leave Hong Kong for Canada as China continues to crack down on pro-democracy activists in the former British colony.
The exasperation follows Ottawa’s suspension of an extradition treaty with Hong Kong in early July after Beijing passed a national security law for the territory.
Critics say the law is being used to crack down on democracy in Hong Kong and put it more firmly under the communist regime’s heel, and violates Beijing’s promise to maintain a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong after China took it over from Britain in 1997.
In early July, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself announced the treaty suspension along with a ban on the export of military goods before asserting that the federal government was looking at a variety of additional responses, including on immigration.
The hope for activists, human-rights groups and others at the time was that the measures were the first in a series of actions aimed at supporting the people of Hong Kong, particularly those trying to fight China’s increasing control of the territory.
“They suspended the extradition agreement between Hong Kong and Canada, which was a great step and I thought signalled a really positive direction for where we were going to be moving forward,” said Ai-Men Lau of Alliance Canada Hong Kong.
Almost two months later, however, neither Trudeau nor his government has made any new pronouncements on Hong Kong despite Chinese authorities’ having conducted several waves of arrests as part of a crackdown on pro-democracy activists and media.
That stands in contrast to Britain and Australia, both of which have announced some measures to make it easier for people to leave Hong Kong and make new lives in those two countries.
“As the prime minister said, we will continue to support the many connections between Canada and Hong Kong while also standing up for its people,” said Mathieu.