They say the safe return to Canada of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor gives the federal government more leeway to vocally oppose China joining the pact.

Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor have arrived in Canada following their release from imprisonment in China. Welcome home, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. You’ve shown incredible strength, resilience, and perseverance.

and Michael Spavor.

Dong left the Liberal caucus in March after Global News reported, based on national security leaks, that he had advised the Chinese regime to keep Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig in detention during the Meng Wangzhou affair. Mr.

A young man holds a sign bearing photographs of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who have been detained in China for more than a year, outside the B.C.

This view is shared by Josephine Chiu-Duke, professor at the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia, pointing to China's arbitrary arrest of Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, widely seen as Beijing's use of

Shortly after Meng was taken into custody, Beijing detained Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor for alleged espionage activities.

It was "completely inappropriate and in fact wrong," he said, especially given that Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor had been arbitrarily detained by Chinese authorities just months earlier, in December 2018. After a protest led by Mr.

Dong reportedly met with Han Tao, China’s consul-general in Toronto, in February 2021 and allegedly suggested Beijing delay freeing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, or the two Michaels. Why?

Dong allegedly advised Han Tao, then-Chinese consul general in Toronto, that Beijing should delay releasing Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who had been arbitrarily imprisoned in China for over two years at the time. Mr.

Global News reported in March that then-Liberal MP Han Dong had “privately advised a senior Chinese diplomat in February 2021 that Beijing should hold off freeing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.”

But that went off the rails in 2017 and, a year later, China arrested and jailed Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. We all get that. But there was always a sense that something else was involved.

Dong and the Chinese consul general in Toronto, Han Tao, saying he "privately advised" the diplomat that "Beijing should hold off freeing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor."

Joly said she spoke with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in April, a first since the arrest of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who were released from Chinese custody in September 2021.

She said she had her first conversation with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi around six weeks ago, noting it was the first political engagement since China's arbitrary detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.

In March of that year, then Conservative leader Erin O’Toole called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to cancel a US$40 million payment to the bank after Beijing's arbitrary detention of Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig.

Among measures taken by Beijing was the arbitrary arrest in China of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. The two were freed in September last year after Meng reached a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S.

Manthorpe said Beijing's "kidnapping" of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in apparent retaliation for Canada's detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018 "sent a clear message in itself: that the CCP cares more about the security of

He referred to the support that Canadian diplomats in China received from their counterparts in other countries when Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were put on trial in 2021.

Security Council meeting, called on Beijing to release Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor for Christmas, prompting a harsh rebuke from China's deputy U.N. envoy in response.

However, to use a clean dividing line, with the fabricated detention of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, the approach to foreigners and foreign business changed.

Days later, China arrested Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, and their trial in March 2021 got little attention in the United States.

Two Canadians detained in China shortly after Meng was arrested, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, returned to Canada just as she was heading back to China.

Since then, Global News citing national security sources alleged that MP Han Dong may have communicated to Chinese consular officials asking them to keep Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig jailed longer to avoid giving the Conservative Party of Canada

Her predecessor, Dominic Barton, left the position last December, a few months after Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were released from having been arbitrarily detained by Beijing for over 1,000 days.

Canada’s relationship with China has now been strained for years, ever since the arrest of former Huawei CFO Meng Wenzhou in December 2018 and the detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor shortly thereafter. 

A March 22 article by Global News, which cited national security sources, said Dong advised Chinese consul general in Toronto, Han Tao, to hold off on releasing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who had at that time been imprisoned in China for over

However, IPAC members noted that Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were subject to human rights abuses with no Canadian consular visitation allowed, which had been in violation of the CCP agreements.

Canada-China relations took a nosedive in 2018 after Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were arrested in China in what was dubbed "hostage diplomacy" following Ottawa's detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at the request of Washington, which wanted

Kovrig and Michael Spavor.