Protesters outside Parliament buildings in Ottawa, February 22, 2021. Adrian Wyld - The Canadian Press

By Mike Blanchfield - The Canadian Press

Conservatives win all-party support of Uighur genocide vote in House of Commons

Feb 22, 2021 | 5:10 PM

OTTAWA, Ont. – Canada’s House of Commons voted unanimously in favour Monday of a Conservative motion declaring as genocide the atrocities committed against ethnic Muslim Uighurs in China’s Xinjiang province.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and all of his Liberal cabinet ministers abstained from the politically charged vote, which took place mainly over video, and against the backdrop of all-but-frozen relations between Beijing and Ottawa.

China has imprisoned two Canadian men, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, on what the government and dozens of its allies say are bogus charges in retaliation for the RCMP’s December 2018 arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. extradition warrant.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau registered a formal abstention on behalf of the government, drawing audible jeers over the video feed.

Dozens of Liberal MPs supported the Conservative motion, which passed by a 266-0 margin, amid the cabinet abstentions in the 338-seat Commons.

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The vote is largely symbolic but represents growing political opposition to widespread reports of atrocities against Chinese minorities, accusations the China’s communist leaders vociferously deny.

The Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Official Opposition, issued the following statement on the passage of a Conservative motion to recognize the Uyghur genocide:

“Today, Members from all parties voted to recognize the genocide currently being carried out by the People’s Republic of China against Uyghur and other Turkic Muslims, despite Justin Trudeau and his Cabinet refusing to vote. Their coordinated absence speaks volumes.

It is shameful that Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government continue to refuse to call the horrific conduct by the Chinese Communist Party what it is: a genocide.

Now, Conservatives are calling on the Liberal government to respect Parliament and officially recognize the genocide happening in China – as most of their Members did when they voted in support of our motion.

Canada may be a smaller country in terms of population, but we are a towering giant when it comes to our commitment to human rights. That is why Conservatives call on the Trudeau government to show up for work on human rights and stop their naïve approach to the Chinese Communist Party. The Liberal government needs to stand up for what’s right.”