China, Hong Kong and Foreign Interference

The Catholic Register: Pope Leo’s aid sought in freeing Hong Kong activist

A group of parliamentarians was recently thwarted in its efforts to see a motion passed in the House of Commons to grant honorary Canadian citizenship to Jimmy Lai, the prominent Catholic political prisoner jailed for his role in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests. 

Though essentially a symbolic gesture, it was understood to be an important one taken at the outset of the June 15-17 G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta.

The cross-party coalition seeking support for Lai included Liberal MP Judy Sgro, Conservative MPs Tony Baldinelli and Shuvaloy Majumdar, NDP MP Jenny Kwan, Bloc Québécois MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, Senator Pierre Dalphond and Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne.

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If Pope Leo XIV were to refer to Lai publicly it would be a divergence from papal practice since the Sino-Vatican accord on the appointment of bishops was signed in 2018. Though the late Pope Francis spoke of human rights abuses in Gaza, Sudan and Myanmar, he never spoke of China.

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In an email, a spokesperson for Lai’s defense team told the Register, “The Vatican has historically played a very important role in defending human rights around the world, and it could play a very important role in arguing for Mr. Lai's release.” 

Vancouver Archbishop Emeritus J. Michael Miller was one of 10 Catholic bishops, including Americans Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Bishop Robert Barron, who signed a 2023 petition demanding the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region “immediately and unconditionally release” Lai. At the time, Miller told the B.C Catholic, “Mr. Lai is a person of faith who is being silenced and imprisoned for his pro-democracy convictions. Justice demands that we speak up for them and give them a voice.”

VIDEO: Remarks at Free Jimmy Lai Parliamentary Press Conference

June 10, 2025 - Ottawa, ON - MP Jenny Kwan joined Mr. Sebastian Lai, son of imprisoned Hong Kong pro-democracy leader and publisher Jimmy Lai, members of Jimmy Lai's legal team, and a cross-party group of MPs to speak at an All-Party Parliamentary Press Conference for Jimmy Lai.

As world leaders prepared to gather for the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, MP Jenny Kwan, along with other MPs and Senators from all parties called on Canada’s delegation to the talks to champion freedom for Jimmy Lai, one of the world’s most high-profile political prisoners and a man with close ties to Canada.

Jenny also asked the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship in Parliament the previous day: Will Canada grant honorary citizenship to Jimmy Lai? This isn't a private case - it's a human rights issue. The minister must stop hiding behind excuses. It's time for Canada to take a stand. The Minister has the ministerial authority to do so and should act immediately ahead of the G7 Summit.

Globe and Mail: Government told Liberal MP to shelve motion on honorary citizenship for Jimmy Lai

A drive to grant jailed Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai honorary Canadian citizenship is on hold after the Liberal MP spearheading the move was told by her government’s House leader to shelve the motion just before she was about to present it.

The MP, Judy Sgro, had already gained the support of MPs from all parties for a unanimous-consent motion that raised the plight of Mr. Lai, who has been held in solitary confinement for 4½ years.

The motion was seen as a symbolic gesture by Canada to bolster support for Mr. Lai before the G7 leaders’ summit in Alberta this weekend.

Ms. Sgro said she was not given a clear explanation for the government’s move. She said she plans to persevere with the motion.

She was approached by Steven MacKinnon, the Government House Leader, on Wednesday and told that she could not present it.

 

NDP MP Jenny Kwan, who was born in Hong Kong, said Immigration Minister Lena Diab has the power to grant Mr. Lai honorary citizenship and should do so before the G7 summit, when world leaders are gathering.

“She should do it right now and absolutely before the G7,” she said. “The whole idea is to get it in front of the international community.”

Vancouver Sun: Criticism comes from all sides after B.C. Ferries awards contract to Chinese state-owned company

“The Liberals are set to hand over $30 million (in federal subsidies) to B.C. Ferries while B.C. Ferries hands over critical jobs, investment and industry to China,” Kibble charged.

Freeland responded that she agrees the federal government needs to be supporting local industry and working with allies and trade partners but that the B.C. Ferries’ contract wasn’t a federal project.

Jenny Kwan, NDP MP for Vancouver East, told Postmedia that Ottawa has a role in working with provincial governments to build up the country, including ensuring that domestic companies can compete for large procurement contracts.

“We have to re-examine how that procurement process is undertaken,” said Kwan.

Globe & Mail: MPs set to vote on motion seeking honorary citizenship for jailed Hong Kong businessman Jimmy Lai

Sebastien said at a press conference that the fact that his father had stayed in Hong Kong “in the face of oppression” showed his courage, but that if he were released he would likely come to Canada, where many of their family members, including Mr. Lai’s twin sister, live. He suggested he would also visit Britain where they have family.

Mr. Lai owns 12 hotels and 20 restaurants and spas in southern Ontario, as well as significant real estate in Canada. Local Conservative MP Tony Baldinelli said his properties are “a significant driver of local tourism in Niagara on the Lake.”

Immigration Minister Lena Diab was asked if she would grant Mr. Lai honorary citizenship on Monday by NDP MP Jenny Kwan in the Commons.

Ms. Kwan, who was born in Hong Kong, said Hong Kong’s national-security law had stripped people of their basic rights.

The law contains vaguely defined offences that Amnesty International has said mean “virtually anything could be deemed a threat.”

“Those who dared to speak up and to fight against this were persecuted. Jimmy Lai is one of those individuals. He dared to speak truth to power,” Ms. Kwan said.

She said Mr. Lai must be released if “the Chinese government values their reputation in any way, shape or form.”

HANSARD: Will the minister grant Jimmy Lai honorary Canadian citizenship?

ICIJ: Canadian lawmakers urge action against international regression in wake of China Targets probe

International Consortium of Investigative Journalists: Members of Parliament have called on the newly elected government to enforce a law against transnational repression following reports of Chinese authorities targeting Canadian residents.

Jenny Kwan, a member of the left-leaning New Democratic Party who herself is an “evergreen” target of the Chinese government according to Canda’s intelligence agency, told ICIJ media partner CBC News that countering transnational repression has become an urgent matter.

“In light of the CBC investigation and the reports that have now come out, you would think that this would be a priority for the government,” Kwan, who was born in Hong Kong, said in an interview. “But so far, I have yet to hear the prime minister say foreign interference, transnational repression is a top priority for them.”

HANSARD: Reply to the Throne Speech

HANSARD: Reply to the Throne Speech - Bill C-70 Foreign Interference

Hill Times: Feds can’t continue to delay ‘heavy lifting’ on foreign interference response, says NDP MP Jenny Kwan

Nearly a year after Bill C-70, the Countering Foreign Interference Act, received royal assent last June following unanimous consent from opposition parties, Kwan noted that Carney’s government is already signalling the promised foreign influence registry is not on the fast track.

Alongside amendments to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) Act, the Security of Information Act, the Canada Evidence Act, and the Criminal Code, Bill C-70 established a new Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act, which allows for the creation of a foreign agents’ registry to be administered by an independent transparency commissioner.