(Ottawa) The rector of the University of Ottawa, Jacques Frémont, apologizes after being criticized by the entire political class. The post-secondary institution had banned cameras from taking footage of China’s ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, during his speech to students on Monday afternoon.
“About the cameraman who couldn’t do his job during the Chinese ambassador’s conference, we made the wrong decision at the last moment,” he wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday morning. We apologize to the media involved. We should have done better to protect the freedom of the press. »
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the day before that the university had made “a mistake” in undermining the freedom of the press. The University of Ottawa has also drawn criticism from the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, who did not fail to recall how the institution had also flouted academic freedom in the past with the Lieutenant -Duval.
University of Ottawa staff decided to ban the cameras at the request of the Chinese ambassador to Canada who was giving an open conference to the media on Monday afternoon. A statement from the institution’s spokesperson on Tuesday suggested that Mr. Peiwu’s refusal to participate in the presence of cameras would have jeopardized the event.
Radio-Canada also reported that university staff lowered the blinds to hide a demonstration in support of the Uyghurs which was taking place outside the building. However, the tweet from the rector of the institution does not address this issue.
Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus said on Tuesday he expected “a strong reaction” from the Canadian government. Instead of blaming the university, he instead blamed the Chinese ambassador.
New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh said freedom of the press is “a fundamental right” in a democratic society.
The conference came as China grappled over the weekend with widespread protests over the severity of its “zero COVID” strategy. An unprecedented event since the army crushed the pro-democracy movement led by students in 1989, in Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
With The Canadian Press