Activists concerned about legislation

Ottawa urged to offer faster asylum process as Beijing gets tough

VANCOUVER— As China prepares to impose new legislation in Hong Kong that experts say strips the region of its autonomy, activists in Canada are urging Ottawa to streamline the asylum process for members of the city’s democracy movement.

Cherie Wong of Alliance Canada Hong Kong (ACHK), a recently formed organization created in part to counter the influence of the Chinese Communist Party, said when the national security law is implemented this week, democracy activists in Hong Kong will be in danger.

“This is a good opportunity for Canada to show leadership and to offer a path for Hong Kongers to escape state-sponsored violence,” said Wong, the alliance’s executive director.

“I understand there is hesitation, but I also urge the Canadian government to take action. We shouldn’t wait until there is even a larger surge of Hong Kongers fleeing for safety,” she said.

More democracy activists from the city will be looking for a way out, fearing arrest when Beijing’s imposed law comes into effect, Wong said. Wong said ACHK has submitted a paper to Global Affairs Canada and numerous MPs detailing policy options Ottawa can implement outside of the country’s conventional refugee and asylum process to aid people at risk in the city.

But the alliance’s paper doesn’t stop at requests to help Hong Kong activists come to Canada. It asks Ottawa to include those persecuted in mainland China, such as ethnic Uighurs in the country’s far western Xinjiang autonomous region, where reports indicate up to 2 million people are in internment camps.

Hong Kong is meant to enjoy autonomy from China until 2047 under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the document laying out the agreement for the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to mainland China by the United Kingdom.

The region has been gripped by demonstrations and political unrest for more than a year, when the local government tried to pass an extradition law, which opponents charged meant critics of Beijing could be sent to mainland China to face politically charged trials.

Protesters relentlessly brought the city to a standstill for months and the law was shelved last September.

Observers say the national security law breaks the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

Plans include a special bureau in Hong Kong to investigate and prosecute crimes of national security and making all the region’s governmental bodies answerable to the central government in Beijing.

In its list of recommendations to help those in Hong Kong, ACHK suggests providing asylum and travel documents to “known democratic activists whose freedom of movement is restricted.”

Other suggestions include leveraging existing employment and labour programs to aid those seeking refuge and enhance sponsorship programs, making it easier to bring in claimants.

“We have to take action now, we cannot wait any longer,” Wong said.

Prioritizing Hong Kong citizens’ move to Canada will benefit the country, as the influx will include those with a breadth of knowledge, insight and language skills related to China, Wong said.