Rights groups are renewing calls for Ottawa to support Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai after the federal government paused a motion to grant him honorary Canadian citizenship last week.
The Toronto Association for Democracy in China and the Canadian Coalition on Human Rights in China issued a joint press release on June 18, asking Ottawa to urge the release of Lai, who has been in a Hong Kong prison for more than four years, and restart work toward granting him honorary citizenship.
A motion to grant Lai honorary Canadian citizenship was halted on June 11 when Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon told Liberal MP Judy Sgro she could not present a unanimous-consent motion on the issue. The motion had cross-party support and was intended to be introduced ahead of the G7 leaders’ summit in Kananaskis, Alta., to draw international attention to Lai’s case….