Skip to main content

Hello,

Hours after Canada expelled Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei for interfering in the country’s politics, Beijing has responded in kind, while threatening potential further retaliation in a dispute that has plunged relations to a new low.

China’s foreign ministry said Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, a Shanghai-based diplomat, had been declared “persona non grata” and told to leave the country by May 13.

It described the move as a “reciprocal countermeasure” in response to Canada’s own “unscrupulous” expulsion of Mr. Zhao, who CSIS said was part of efforts to target Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family after the lawmaker’s work spearheading a parliamentary motion that declared Beijing’s treatment of Uyghurs a genocide.

China had earlier warned Canada against expelling Mr. Zhao, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters Tuesday, but Ottawa proceeded nevertheless, “based on the false accusation of Chinese interference in Canada’s internal affairs.” He said the expulsion of Ms. Lalonde was “fully justified and necessary,” adding Beijing will not “waver in our resolve to uphold China’s interests.”

Asia Correspondent James Griffiths reports here.

Meanwhile, Canadian businesses and farmers are once again steeling themselves for retaliation from China as Beijing seeks to punish Canada for expelling a Chinese diplomat, raising the spectre of a trade war at a time when the Canadian and global economies are already vulnerable. Story here.

This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, written by Ian Bailey. It is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you're reading this on the web, subscribers can sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.

TODAY'S HEADLINES

FACEBOOK WRONG TO SAY NEWS LACKS ECONOMIC VALUE: PM - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said Meta Platforms Inc.’s opposition to proposed legislation that would compel payment by its Facebook unit and other internet companies for journalistic content was based on a flawed argument that news has no economic value. Story here. Meanwhile, Facebook’s president of global affairs didn’t turn up to address the Commons heritage committee on Monday because the social-media giant had deemed the title of the day’s hearing too “confrontational.” Story here.

JOLY TO ANNOUNCE CANADA’S BID FOR UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL SEAT - Canada is throwing its hat in the ring for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council, pledging to advance issues from online speech to access to abortion. Story here.

OTTAWA CORPORATE ABUSES WATCHDOG HASN’T FILED REPORTS - The office responsible for probing the conduct of Canadian companies abroad has not filed any investigative reports to the federal minister overseeing its operations, raising questions about whether it is fulfilling its mandate. Story here.

LIBERALS FACE BACKLASH OVER POLICY TO TRACE JOURNALISTS’ SOURCES - The federal Liberals have faced a backlash over a policy the party approved at its national convention that critics said could force journalists to reveal confidential sources. Story here.

SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE WARNS PM ABOUT SHORTAGE - Chief Justice Richard Wagner, in a scathing letter obtained by Radio-Canada, is warning Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that a chronic shortage of judges in the federal court system is putting criminal trials at risk and could undermine public confidence in democratic institutions. Story here from CBC.

SNOW CRAB STANDOFF IMPACTS NEWFOUNDLAND ECONOMY - The provincial economy in Newfoundland and Labrador is at a crossroads because of a standoff over snow crab, the province’s most valuable fishery product. At issue is the price of crab set by the province’s independent price-setting panel. Story here.

FRENCH LOSING GROUND IN QUEBEC DUE TO TEMPORARY IMMIGRANTS: MINISTER - Quebec’s French-language minister says temporary immigrants are one of the reasons French is losing ground in the province. Story here from The Montreal Gazette.

SMITH’S COMMENTS USING HITLER COMPARISON DRAW IRE - Danielle Smith, the leader of the United Conservative Party, started the second week of the Alberta provincial election campaign by addressing a video in which she compared those who got the COVID-19 vaccine to people who supported tyrants, referencing Adolf Hitler. Story here. Meanwhile, former members of an elite Alberta wildfire-fighting crew say government budget cuts have left the province battling its current blazes short-handed. Story here.

WALKER WINS PULITZER - Canadian journalist Connie Walker has won the Pulitzer Prize. She won the audio reporting award for the Gimlet Media podcast “Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s,” an investigation into her father’s abuse at a residential school. Story here.

EXPLAINING A-LIST BIDS FOR SENATORS - The competition to buy the Ottawa Senators of the NHL has drawn A-listers Snoop Dog, Ryan Reynolds and the Weeknd into the fray. There’s a new explainer here.

THIS AND THAT

TODAY IN THE COMMONS – Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons May 9, accessible here.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER’S DAY - Chrystia Freeland, also the finance minister, in Toronto, held private meetings and virtually attended the weekly cabinet meeting.

MINISTERS ON THE ROAD - Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, in Fredericton, delivered remarks to the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, and took media questions.

IN OTTAWA: Marci Ien, the minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, in Ottawa and on behalf of Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos made a funding announcement on abortion access. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, with International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller and Ms. Ien scheduled in the House of Commons, to make an announcement on Canada’s leadership on human rights. .

COMMITTEE BUSINESS - Former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu, who has said China’s government targeted him during the 2021 federal election, appears Tuesday before the Commons committee on procedure and house affairs, which is looking into foreign election interference.

PRIME MINISTER'S DAY

The Prime Minister, in Ottawa, held private meetings, chaired the weekly cabinet meeting and attended Question Period.

LEADERS

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet was scheduled to hold a media scrum in the foyer of the House of Commons.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was scheduled to appear before the annual conference of Canada’s Building Trades Unions, in Gatineau, Que., according to an advisory issued by the union.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Gatineau, delivered a speech to the Building Trades Unions’ Canadian conference, then spoke to the media before participating in Question Period.

No schedules provided for other party leaders.

THE DECIBEL

On Tuesday’s edition of the Globe and Mail podcast, economics reporter Matt Lundy explains why the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive that was supposed to help 100,000 Canadians buy their first home has fallen short, with real estate professionals saying the program was doomed from the start. The Decibel is here.

OPINION

The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on how police need better, specialized training: In late April, the Ontario government scrapped a planned requirement for new police officers to first earn a postsecondary degree. This lowering of the bar to become a cop moves in the exact opposite direction of consistent calls for more extensive police training, the most recent coming from the Mass Casualty Commission in Nova Scotia. Finishing high school has long been the standard to become a police officer, though in practice many recruits bring more formal education to the table. Once hired, a recruit attends basic training. It is a short stint, usually about half a year, and generally has a paramilitary focus.”

Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on how the Liberals must get used to damaged relations with China: This won’t be the last time the Canadian government has to choose to damage relations with China. The Liberals are going to have to get used to it. By the time the decision was announced, on Monday afternoon, it had become inevitable that the Liberal government had to expel Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei, after The Globe reported he was involved in efforts to target the family of Conservative MP Michael Chong over his criticism of Beijing. That’s foreign interference in Technicolor. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said the government had to weigh the “consequences” of Beijing’s retaliation, but nearly everyone else bayed for Mr. Zhao to get the boot. Finally, on Monday afternoon, Ms. Joly declared Mr. Zhao persona non grata and gave him five days to get out of Canada.”

André Picard (The Globe and Mail) on how the pandemic emergency is over, but COVID-19 isn’t: COVID-19 is still killing about 4,000 people a week worldwide (down from a peak of 100,000 at the height of the pandemic) and sickening who knows how many more. The wily virus continues to mutate and spit out new variants. It hasn’t hasn’t finished ripping a global trail of social, economic and political destruction. “COVID-19 has left – and continues to leave – deep scars on our world,” Dr. Tedros said. Symbolically at least, the pandemic is over. Most people and governments have moved on. But nobody’s celebrating. There won’t be a tickertape parade to celebrate COVID’s demise – because it lingers. The beginning of the end is more of a moment of exhausted relief than triumph. So, what now?”

Richard Fadden (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on Canada pushing back now that Beijing is in Canada’s face: The need for Canada to push back on countries engaged in foreign interference seems increasingly clear, yet it cannot be undertaken lightly. In this respect, Ottawa’s decision to expel Zhao Wei, the Toronto-based consular official alleged to have been the interference agent in Mr. Chong’s case, is a useful first step. It remains to be seen what Beijing’s full retaliation will look like. In any event, the expulsion was necessary in defence of our sovereignty. But between the threats against Mr. Chong and others, the reports of Chinese-run police stations operating illicitly in Canada, and the various activities meant to influence the electoral outcome in specific constituencies along with other activities, a single expulsion is not an adequate reaction. So, what can Ottawa do?”

Margaret Froh and Audrey Poitras (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how, to achieve reconciliation, Canada needs to recognize the Métis as a self-governing nation: The Métis story is one of resistance and resilience. In recent years, we have been writing a new chapter to our story with Canada based on reconciliation. This spring, we hope to solidify the progress we have made as a people with the introduction and passage of federal recognition legislation by Parliament.”

Margaret McCuaig-Johnston (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on why it took Canada so long to expel China’s diplomat?:One would have thought that Zhao Wei, a Chinese diplomat and suspected intelligence officer, would have been sent home by the evening the news broke that he was part of an effort by Beijing to target MP Michael Chong’s family – or better still, two years ago when CSIS first learned about this. But the expulsion came a week after The Globe and Mail brought the matter to the public’s attention. Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly had said the government was considering what economic, consular and diplomatic retaliation might be visited upon Canada if it went through with the move. Why did our government seemingly hold back on expelling a Chinese agent for an offence against a sitting member of Parliament on Canadian soil? And why did it do so only when its hand was forced by public blowback? The answer lies in the highly asymmetric trading relationship between the two countries – an asymmetry that makes Canada economically dependent upon China.”

Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.

Follow related authors and topics

Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.

Interact with The Globe