OTTAWA, ON – The Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Official Opposition, today issued the following statement:

“China is undermining the basic principles of freedom of expression and freedom of the press.

“Today, Communist China banned BBC World News. This comes as no surprise when we saw a record 17 foreign journalists expelled from China early last year. Clearly, the suppression of the press continues to grow.

“This comes at a time when Canada depends on reporting for updates on illegally-detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, China’s crackdown on the 300,000 Canadians in Hong Kong, and the genocide of Uyghurs.

“Conservatives call on the Trudeau government to stand up to China and the threat they pose to our values and interests. Justin Trudeau can start by finally calling the atrocities committed against Uyghur Muslims by the People’s Republic of China what they are – a genocide.”
 

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For more information:

Chelsea Tucker
chelsea.tucker@parl.gc.ca
(613) 219-3790

Axel Rioux
axel.rioux@parl.gc.ca
(613) 291-7125