Conservative Leader O’Toole Warns Canadians Not Safe in China After Court Upholds Death Sentence in Drug Smuggling Case

The Canadian Press via Epoch Times ^ | 08/11/2021

[SeekAndFind]

OTTAWA—Federal Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole accused Beijing of using the death penalty for political purposes on Tuesday after a Chinese court upheld the sentence of a Canadian sentenced to death in a drug case.

O’Toole also reopened the door to a Canadian boycott of next year’s Winter Olympics in China, warning the Chinese government’s recent actions show Canadians are not safe in the country.

“I know how hard our athletes are training for Beijing,” the Conservative leader said during a news conference in Oakville, Ont. “But we are approaching a point where it won’t be safe for Canadians, including Olympic athletes, to travel to China.”

O’Toole’s comments came hours after the Higher People’s Court of Liaoning province in the northeast rejected an appeal by Robert Schellenberg, whose 15-year prison term on drug smuggling charges was increased to death in January 2019.

That followed the December 2018 arrest of Huawei Technologies Ltd. executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on U.S. charges of lying to the Hong Kong arm of the British bank HSBC about possible dealings with Iran in violation of trade sanctions.

China also arrested and later tried two other Canadians, entrepreneur Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig, on spying charges in apparent retaliation for Meng’s detention. Critics have described their arrests as “hostage politics.”

Meng’s lawyers argue the case against the Huawei chief financial officer is politically motivated and what she is accused of isn’t a crime in Canada.

China’s government has criticized the arrest as part of U.S. efforts to hamper its technology development. Huawei, a maker of network equipment and smartphones, is China’s first global tech brand and is at the centre of U.S.-Chinese tension over technology and security.

The federal government criticized Tuesday’s ruling upholding the death penalty for Schellenberg as arbitrary and the penalty as “cruel and inhumane.”

[blackdog]

Lack of Trump can be a real problem.

[Reno89519]

No sympathy for drug smugglers as the US should be doing the same—death sentences. And what is Canada to do, ask the US for help? Only if we annex Canada and make it part of the US, under the US Constitution. Otherwise, not our problem.

[Peter ODonnell]

This guy really catches on fast, no?

I suspect that these problems we have with China are a cover for co-operation behind the scenes to throw people off the scent.

Given the history of Dominion voting systems and its role in the election, I think U.S. intel should be looking very carefully at what’s going on up here, there is not much chance of our compromised intel doing so, and I suppose the same might be said of yours.

We could be taking a much stronger line with China but that would involve getting all our citizens out of there first, not that there are huge numbers, probably a couple of thousand who find some business advantage to living there, or (this is a puzzler) want to live there.

Our economies are unfortunately intertwined (to their advantage) so this won’t happen. Canada is basically the answer to the question “what would the USA be like if the government had been similar to the current government all the time since the 1970s?”

We’re still free mainly because our socialist minders just can’t wrap their heads around the puzzling concept that some people disagree with them.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

What did Canada, run by Marxist Trudeau Jr, expect? Free wontons and Peking duck dinners?

[House Atreides]

Americans, Australians, Japanese and Taiwanese among many others aren’t safe in China. EVERYBODY needs to get out while the getting’s good.

[exDemMom]

Avoid going to China.

But if you must go, don’t smuggle drugs while you’re there.

[sushiman]

“No sympathy for drug smugglers as the US should be doing the same—death sentences. “ . Was just going to write the same thing . Anybody dumb enough to smuggle drugs in or out of China , knowing the consequences if caught , deserves what he or she gets .

[sushiman]

” Americans, Australians, Japanese and Taiwanese among many others aren’t safe in China.”

Total BS . Obey the laws and one is safer than one would be in many US cities .

[kaehurowing]

Drug dealers should be publicly executed. Smuggled meth? He should be killed. Good for China. If we had the same penalty for these death merchants, crime, homelessness and mental illness would be a small fraction of what they are in the U.S.

[House Atreides]

“Americans, Australians, Japanese and Taiwanese among many others aren’t safe in China.”
………………………………………….
Total BS . Obey the laws and one is safer than one would be in many US cities .
****************************************************************

Really? Tell that to Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig.

[Does so]

The US is busy legalizing drugs, and put the issue on ballots when our domestic Commies need votes.

Commies can count on our druggies to get the Representatives that are killing off our freedoms. We are paying for it in many ways. China is smarter.

[Timocrat]

Obey the laws and one is safer than one would be in many US cities .

Total BS. The Canadian sentenced to ten years is clearly tit for tat for the arrest of the Huwei executive in Canada. The US and other western countries should boycott the winter games in China.

[NobleFree]

The US is busy legalizing drugs, and put the issue on ballots when our domestic Commies need votes.

And the Reefer Madness brigade makes it impossible for Commies' opponents to defuse the issue by supporting the liberty of adults to choose marijuana.

[Does so]

You can’t call “the Reefer Madness brigade” a brigade of drug pushers.

[sushiman]

Robert Schellenberg was caught for drugs in 2014. Anyone involved with drugs in China knows of China’s death penalty.. He should have done his time, laid low and gone home in 15 years, not appeal.

[sushiman]

As for Spavor , a Chinese spy in Canada would also be sentenced to years in prison, but that would be considered fair , right ?

[NobleFree]

You can’t call “the Reefer Madness brigade” a brigade of drug pushers.

I have no idea what you're trying to say.