Trudeau Playing Part as China’s Patsy

[Oscar]

Trudeau Playing Part as China’s Patsy

[ http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2016/10/04/Tr ... ign=061016 ]

PM’s openness to extradition pact, trade deal ignores dismal rights record.

By Bill Tieleman , 4 Oct 2016 | TheTyee.ca

Bill Tieleman is a former NDP strategist whose clients include unions and businesses in the resource and public sector. Tieleman is a regular Tyee contributor who writes a column on B.C. politics every Tuesday in 24 Hours newspaper. E-mail him at weststar@telus.net or visit his blog.

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“His brain has not only been washed, as they say... It has been dry cleaned.” — Character Dr. Yen Lo in the movie The Manchurian Candidate. [ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man ... _Candidate ]

Is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the Canadian version of The Manchurian Candidate, brainwashed to do China’s bidding as in the famous movie and book?

Trudeau’s recent statements [ http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/chinese ... -1.3773699 ] about considering an extradition treaty with a military dictatorship that executes more “criminals” than any other country [ http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/06/asia/china-death-penalty/ ], and hoping to get a free trade deal with China to double trade by 2025 are both troubling.

And while Trudeau is not brainwashed, he is showing poor judgment when it comes to China and has done so before.

Back in November 2013, Trudeau was asked what other country in the world impressed him most and his answer shocked.
[ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/j ... -1.2421351 ]

“There’s a level of admiration I actually have for China,” he said. “Their basic dictatorship is actually allowing them to turn their economy around on a dime.”

Now his willingness to consider an extradition treaty with China — which would have Canada send suspects back to face justice in China for alleged crimes — is raising huge concern with Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, among others.

“The extraordinary weaknesses in China’s due process and fair trial rights are well documented. China wants this treaty to create a veneer of legality for fundamentally abusive tactics,” said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, according to the New York Times. “Beijing will then also be able to say to other governments, ‘Canada signed one, why won’t you.’”

Adds Amnesty’s Canadian secretary general Alex Neve: “It’s very clear that China regularly seeks the return to China of individuals who are wanted for political reasons or religious reasons.”

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