Liberal MP Michael Ma is facing criticism for casting doubt on reports of China’s forced labour practices in the Xinjiang region.
In a series of rapid-fire questions during a House of Commons committee meeting on March 26, Ma, who defected from the Conservative Party in December, asked an expert questions that suggested skepticism about the practice, but didn’t give her time to elaborate.
The exchange with Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a China expert and former senior public servant, occurred at House of Commons industry committee, which is studying the government’s electric vehicle policies.
The feds recently signed a series of agreements with China, including to allow up to 49,000 Chinese EVs to enter Canada with low tariffs, in exchange for Beijing lowering tariffs on Canadian canola. McCuaig-Johnston is among the experts raising security concerns over the move, saying Beijing routinely targets diaspora and Chinese dissidents in Canada for transnational repression….