Canada will boycott the diplomatic part of the Beijing Olympics in February, like its British, American and Australian allies, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Wednesday.
Canadian athletes will participate in the Games, but no representative of the Canadian government will go to China.
Wednesday morning, Trudeau took note of the decision of two of Canada’s traditional allies, at the door of his caucus meeting. On Monday, the United States announced that its athletes will be in Beijing, but that no representative of the United States government will make the trip. London followed suit on Wednesday.
“There are two of our allies who have announced their decisions. We have been talking about it with them and with everyone for months and months, ”he said.
His Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly testified to this effort, again on Wednesday morning. “Again this morning, I was on the phone with several different foreign ministers […] I will continue, in any case, the contacts because it is generally important that we can have a greater number of countries participating, ”said the minister, supposedly alluding to participation in the diplomatic boycott.
The day before, she had clearly stated her preference for a presence of Canadian athletes in Beijing. “Of course we want to make sure that our athletes can compete in the next Olympic Winter Games. They worked so hard; it is important for them to be able to go there, ”she offered, when she left the Commons.
Repeated requests for oppositions
Like Prime Minister Trudeau and all the leaders of political parties in Ottawa, Minister Joly says she is “concerned” by the treatment of Uyghurs in China.
“It is clear that it is important to be with allies in partnership in the world when we have an approach against China,” insisted Mr. Trudeau to justify the time he took before deciding on a gesture to be made.
The leader of the Bloc Québécois, on Wednesday morning, felt that the Canadian government had already delayed too long. “What we accepted, reluctantly, is unfortunately to be satisfied with the diplomatic boycott”, regretted Yves-François Blanchet, at a press conference on Wednesday morning. His party had unsuccessfully proposed a motion calling for the postponement of the Games.
“Even the floor is too soft for the Liberals. They’ll have to go to the basement to be comfortable, ”he denounced in front of the time it took for the Canadian government to announce its colors.
The Conservatives and New Democrats had also been preaching for several days for Canada’s diplomatic absence from the Beijing Olympics.