Canada's Extradition Policy Needs Modernization

 After three years of being under house arrest by Chinese authorities, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor are headed home on a plane back to Canada.  To begin this debacle, Canada has several extradition treaties  with other nation states not named the United States and,  principally, the U.S. When Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou ran afoul of America's tight policy on China during the Trump Administration's America First program; making deals with Iran, the U.S. summoned an arrest warrant for Meng and Canadian security officials arrested her at the Vancouver airport. Thus, began a gruelling period that has cost Canadian taxpayers unnecessary costs to defend Meng's ouster from Canadian soil to face charges. Shortly, after her arrest in Vancouver, Chinese officials in response, arrested Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig on trumped up espionage charges and held them in detention for almost three years. Meng was painfully subjected to wearing a security bracelet around her ankle like a Gucci runway item on a Chinese  TikTok fashion show, while being restricted to her mansion in Vancouver.  The two Michael's were forced to endure life inside a small cell where reports surfaced that lighting was on 24/7. In addition, consular access to Canadian officials was limited and only by video- link due to China's excuse of COVID risks. 

Canadian officials under the direction of PM Justin Trudeau, were using covert methods to try and gain the two Michael's release. Canada, being a middle power, sharing the longest international border with the U.S. and afraid of rankling Chinese officials, offered little in the way of resistance to either side. There were options to, at least try to present a strong case for Canadian diplomacy and wherewithal in the face of Sino - U.S. aggression, that it now becomes apparent that Canada must not foolhardily accept ANY extradition request from the United States in the future and should rip up- that Treaty, pronto. Further, any aggressive behaviour from China must be met with repercussions as I have suggested in the past; first ordering the closure of all Confucius Institutes in Canada,  secondly limit consular services to one office in the maritimes, prairies, and Territories, third - stop giving aid to China's Asian Development Bank. 

The Liberal Party continues to curry favour to China, particularly, since the Chretien government was obsessed with procuring trade deals with their Chinese counterparts. Quite contradictorily, Trudeau claims to have Canadian job interests in mind when facing issues regarding scandals, yet in true idealist fashion, fails to capture the present circumstances and repercussions of their actions. Trading Canadian jobs for inexpensive Chinese goods is not good business sense and leaves us at the mercy of one of the world's most  ruthless autocratic regimes. Consequently, Chinese officials push their end game with smaller  nation states that are clamouring for a piece of the Chinese market. Canada is a modern democracy that  does not need China as much as the developing world needs Chinese expertise and financing. Just don't criticize China's poor record on human rights, territorial claims i.e. Tibet, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or rough up one of their princeling's with velvet gloves. 

Welcome home, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig!