NDP MP urges caution as Canada moves to mend trade relationship with China

NDP MP Jenny Kwan rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

OTTAWA — An NDP member of Parliament who has been a target of Chinese foreign interference says the federal government should be cautious as it tries to mend its trade relationship with Canada’s second-largest trading partner.

Jenny Kwan said she is an “evergreen target” of interference from Beijing and noted the Chinese government has tried to threaten and intimidate other Canadians.

“The Trump administration is threatening our sovereignty through tariff attacks. India and China and other countries are threatening our sovereignty and our democracy through foreign interference,” Kwan said.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has moved to thaw relationships with both India and China since taking office.

Carney met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the UN on Tuesday for what he called a constructive discussion on trade.

The Prime Minister’s Office said the pair talked about efforts to revitalize the trade relationship and acknowledged “sensitivities” on certain trade files, including canola, seafood and electric vehicles.

Last October, Canada imposed a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese EVs, along with levies on batteries, solar panels and a number of other goods, mirroring actions by the United States.

There has been a series of escalating trade actions since then, resulting in punishing tariffs on Canadian canola seed, oil and meal ranging from 76 to 100 per cent, and on pork, fish and seafood products.

Canada also imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum as part of a suite of protectionist measures in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Rob Oliphant, the parliamentary secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, told reporters Wednesday that Canada “needs a strong relationship with every trading partner.”

“The reality is any relationship with China will be important, with eyes wide open,” he said before a Liberal caucus meeting in Ottawa.

At a press conference in New York on Tuesday, Carney told reporters he expects to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping “at the appropriate time.”

Carney and Xi are both expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum in South Korea in late October.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has been pushing for a meeting between the two leaders as a way to end the canola trade dispute.

Moe led a delegation to China this month that included representatives from the canola industry, and said he thinks China is interested in “recalibrating the trade relationship.”

Carney’s parliamentary secretary Kody Blois was also part of that delegation. He said Wednesday the government is signalling it can “find areas for co-operation” with “countries that we may not agree with on a whole host of issues.”

He also pointed out that Carney invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 in Alberta this summer.

The pair met on the sidelines of the summit and agreed to designate new high commissioners. Dinesh Patnaik was sworn in as India’s new high commissioner to Canada on Wednesday.

Relations between Canada and India have been extremely strained since 2023. That fall, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau said Canada had credible evidence the Indian government played a role in the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in B.C.

In 2024, the RCMP publicly accused the Indian government of being involved in targeted acts of intimidation and violence against Canadians. Canada expelled six diplomats and India retaliated with by expelling six Canadian diplomats.

Kwan said the prime minister “would be wise to keep in mind that both of those countries attempted to undermine our Canadian sovereignty with foreign interference activities.”

A public inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian democratic institutions found that China and India are top perpetrators of foreign meddling in this country.

Kwan said it seems foreign interference has been forgotten since the election. Expanding trade beyond the U.S. is important, she said, but “it has to be in the context of” protecting Canada’s sovereignty and democratic institutions.

“We cannot abandon that primary goal,” she said.

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press