Trudeau expresses support for Chinese protesters as show of dissent roils Beijing
Trudeau expresses support for Chinese protesters as show of dissent roils Beijing
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says everyone in China should be allowed to express themselves amid Beijing's crackdown on COVID-19. He also says an Ottawa University should not have barred reporters from filming China's ambassador this week.
Crowds in China angered by the antivirus controls have called on leader Xi Jinping to resign in the biggest show of public dissent in decades. The regime has eased some of its strict controls after demonstrations in at least eight mainland cities as well as Hong Kong.
But authorities have shown no sign of backing off their larger "zero-COVID" strategy that has confined millions of people to their homes for months at a time.
Security forces have detained an unknown number of people and stepped up surveillance, arresting a BBC journalist.
Trudeau said it's crucial that protesters be allowed to speak up.
"Canadians are watching very closely. Obviously everyone in China should be allowed to express themselves (and) should be allowed to share their perspectives, and indeed protest," he said.
"We're going to continue to ensure that China knows we'll stand up for human rights. We'll stand with people who are expressing themselves. We also need to make sure that China, and places around the world, are respecting journalists and their ability to do their job."
His comments come just after weeks of testimony over Trudeau's invocation of the Emergencies Act to clear out-of-hand protests in Canada last winter, which ranged from discontent over vaccine requirements to rage fuelled by conspiracy theories.
On Monday, Chinese ambassador Cong Peiwu defended his country's handling of protests following a speech to University of Ottawa students, some of whom questioned Beijing's actions.
"In China, the policy works well," Cong said, adding that Beijing has loosened COVID-19 restrictions as scientific knowledge evolves.
"The central government in China, our philosophy is putting people first, putting life first."
The focus of Cong's speech was different models of governance, and he insisted that China governs through a growing number of online consultation platforms, in addition to elections and responding to protests.
"Officials at different levels also read news very carefully, to see if there is anything wrong with their day-to-day operations."
China does not have a free press, stifles demonstrations and censors the internet on numerous issues.
During Cong's Monday remarks, a blind was lowered over a window to block the view of a campus protest against China's treatment of Uyghurs.
Journalists were allowed to attend Cong's speech but forbidden from filming, which the prime minister disapproved of Tuesday.
"I don't know all the details of the incident, but for me they made a mistake in banning the cameras," Trudeau told reporters in French.
"In Canada we open (things) especially to people who have a public profile. The media must have access."
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, who oversees media funding, said he couldn't get into specifics about the incident.
"Freedom of the press is one of the foundations of democracy and it must take precedence over everything," he said in French.
"I can't speak in general about the university but, as I tell you, our democracy was built on (press freedom)."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 29, 2022.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that he’s invited premiers to Ottawa for a 'working meeting' to discuss a health-care funding deal, on Feb. 7.
As the minority Liberals plot out their policy moves ahead of the 2023 parliamentary sitting, weighing heavily are commitments Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh that have to be acted on this year in order to uphold the two-party confidence-and-supply deal. Here is what needs to get done to keep the deal alive.
Governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem says he thinks Canada is 'turning the corner' on inflation, but he isn't ruling out that the country could enter a 'mild recession.' In an English-language broadcast exclusive interview with CTV National News Ottawa Bureau Chief Joyce Napier, Macklem encouraged Canadians to prepare a 'buffer' to withstand 'tougher times.'
After six weeks, more than 70 witnesses, and the submission of more than 7,000 documents into evidence, the public hearing portion of the Public Order Emergency Commission wrapped up on Friday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sat down with CTV National News Chief News Anchor and Senior Editor Omar Sachedina for a year-end interview to reflect on the political shifts experienced in 2022, and to contemplate the challenges ahead in 2023. Here is a full transcript of the interview.
Based on Justin Trudeau's first-day fail in the House of Commons, 'meeting the moment' is destined to become the most laughable slogan since the elder Pierre Trudeau’s disastrous campaign rallying cry in 1972, which insisted 'the land is strong' just as the economy tanked.
Like Jacinda Ardern, Justin Trudeau’s early handling of the pandemic was a reassuring communications exercise where harsh isolation measures went down easier with a hefty helping of government support, Don Martin writes in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca. 'But like the New Zealand Prime Minister, the Canadian PM's best days are arguably behind him. '
The Standing Committee on Transport gathered Thursday with MPs demanding an explanation for how that highly unusual Canadian winter combination of heavy snow and cold temperatures which delayed or cancelled thousands of post-pandemic reunions. What they got was a gold-medal finger-pointing performance, writes Don Martin in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
From a more coherent public health and carbon tax position, to cutting the 'Freedom Convoy' connection and smiling more, Pierre Poilievre has seven New Year's resolutions to woo the voters in 2023, writes Don Martin in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada's new special representative on combating Islamophobia is the perfect person to help Canadians grapple with difficult conversations about religion.
New guidelines on long-term care services by the Health Standards Organization say residents should receive at least four hours of direct care each day. If you or a loved one are living in long-term care, we want to hear from you.
The FBI searched U.S. President Joe Biden's vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Wednesday without finding any classified documents, the president's attorney said. Agents did take some handwritten notes and other materials relating to Biden's time as vice president for review.
Experts say Canada's plan to increase immigration may ease some pressures in the labour market, but bigger changes are needed to ensure new permanent residents are matched with the jobs that most need filling.
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
Health Canada is encouraging Canadians to check their cupboards and kitchen tables as the agency has recalled more than 30 types of Indigo-branded items including ceramic mugs, mug ornaments and houseware products due to potential mould contamination.
Taiwan scrambled fighter jets, put its navy on alert and activated missile systems in response to nearby operations of 34 Chinese military aircraft and nine warships that are part Beijing's strategy to unsettle and intimidate the self-governing island democracy.
Donald Trump's bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 got off to a modest fundraising start, with his campaign ending the year with about US$7 million on hand while his Save America fund had about $18 million, according to financial disclosures released on Tuesday.
The FBI searched U.S. President Joe Biden's vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Wednesday without finding any classified documents, the president's attorney said. Agents did take some handwritten notes and other materials relating to Biden's time as vice president for review.
Newly empowered House Republicans are preparing to oust an African-born Black lawmaker, Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, from the Foreign Affairs Committee over comments she has made critical of Israel -- and as payback after Democrats booted far-right Republicans from panels for incendiary, violent remarks.
A Romanian court on Wednesday upheld a second 30-day detention for the divisive influencer and former professional kickboxer Andrew Tate who is held on suspicion of organized crime and human trafficking, an official said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada's new special representative on combating Islamophobia is the perfect person to help Canadians grapple with difficult conversations about religion.
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner is raising concerns over the federal government's spending on so-called COVID-19 quarantine hotels, calling the total spent on a Calgary-area hotel in 2022 'legitimately flabbergasting.'
New guidelines on long-term care services by the Health Standards Organization say residents should receive at least four hours of direct care each day. If you or a loved one are living in long-term care, we want to hear from you.
A new report from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada is highlighting 'significant inequities' in women's health care that is disproportionately affecting racialized and Indigenous women, members of the LGBTQ2S+ community and those living with low socioeconomic status.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging health care providers and consumers to stop using EzriCare Artificial Tears as it conducts an investigation into at least 50 infections in 11 states that have led to instances of permanent vision loss, hospitalization and one death.
In 2022, San Francisco-based Yelp removed more than 2,000 racist business reviews before they went online -- a nearly 10-fold jump over the year before.
A Halifax university will use its ground-penetrating radar to help a United States defence agency identify and recover the remains of military personnel lost on battlefields.
Beyonce is taking her "Renaissance" global -- the superstar will start a world tour in Sweden in May with stops throughout Europe and the United States.
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
Prosecutors linked Alec Baldwin to an expansive list of alleged failures in firearms safety as they filed a felony involuntary manslaughter charge Tuesday against the actor in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on a New Mexico movie set.
Losses in the energy sector helped lead Canada's main stock index lower in late-morning trading as it fell more than 100 points, while U.S. markets also fell ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's latest interest rate decision this afternoon.
A report from an investor-focused advocacy group raises questions about how well some of Canada's biggest investors are meeting their climate commitments. The report from Investors for Paris Compliance (IPC) looks at the voting records on shareholder proposals by 19 Canadian members of Climate Action 100+, a global coalition with around 700 members representing over $68 trillion in assets under management.
News that she'd be headed back to the office was very welcoming for English instructor Kathy Andvaag, after more than two years teaching from her “dark” and “cold” basement.
Brittney Griner's return to the WNBA this summer after being traded in a dramatic prisoner swap in December with Russia has collided with free agency, creating potential travel complications for the league out of safety concerns for her.
Novak Djokovic played with a three-centimetre (1.2 inches) tear in his hamstring during his run to a record-extending 10th Australian Open title, tournament director Craig Tiley said on Wednesday.
A good winter tire will always outperform an all-season tire in snowy, icy driving conditions and be the safer alternative. Edmunds' experts explain the importance of winter tires and offer advice on when to use them and how much you should pay.
The U.S. Justice Department has requested documents from Tesla related to its Autopilot and 'Full Self-Driving' features, according to a regulatory filing.
Europe is taking another big step toward cutting its energy ties with Russia, banning imports of diesel fuel and other products made from crude oil in Russian refineries. The European Union ban takes effect Feb. 5 following its embargo on coal and most oil from Russia.
