The Canadian Foreign Minister said Wednesday that he had executed four Canadians over drug-related convictions.
Canadian minister Melanie Jolie told reporters she condemned the executions and that the government would still ask others for generosity.
“We will continue to engage with China, which we will not only strongly condemn, but we will continue to ask for generosity from other Canadians who are facing similar situations,” Jolie said.
The Chinese embassy in Ottawa did not provide details about the executions, but defended Beijing’s strict penalties for drug-related crimes.
The execution was first reported by Globe and Mail. The newspaper said the executions took place earlier this year, and Canada’s Ministry of World Affairs said on Wednesday in response to questions from news outlets.
Jolie told reporters that she and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had asked Beijing to try and prevent enforcement in recent months. She said the officials are double citizens of Canada and China. (However, China does not recognize double citizenship.)
Globe and Mail cited a statement from Ottawa that accused the murder of being “contradictory to basic human dignity.” The department did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the New York Times.
John Kamm, founder of the San Francisco human rights group, the DUI Hua Foundation, said he campaigned for death row inmates in China.
He said the four were men and their cases were dealt in the southern province of Guangdong. Kamm noted that it is “very rare” for China to run four foreigners within a short time frame.
The case of the four Canadians had been judicial review in China for two years before his execution, Kamm said.
Canada’s relations with China have deteriorated since late 2018, when the Chinese government imprisoned two Canadians from China, Michael Span and Michael Coblig. The move comes after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, an executive at Vancouver’s Chinese telecommunications giant Howay, at the request of the US government.
The detention of China’s Kovrig and Spann was widely condemned as hostage diplomacy in Canada. In 2021, Span and Kovrig were released after Min was allowed to return to China.
In recent years, the former prime minister, Trudeau, and senior members of his cabinet have increasingly criticised China for publicly criticizing human rights issues. There has also been growing concern over China’s interference in the Canadian issue, including allegations that election candidates received secret, illegal funds from China.
Foreign Minister Jolie called China a “increasingly destructive global force” and warned Canadian companies about the potential risks they may have when doing business there.
Recently, Canada has faced growing concerns that Chinese goods are being exposed to flooding in Canada. Last year, Trudeau announced that Canada would impose 100% tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and would link Canada with the US.
On Wednesday, Jolie said details of the four Canadians who were executed were not revealed at the request of their families. She said they were facing criminal charges related to drugs, according to China.
The Chinese Embassy said the case was dealt with in accordance with the law without providing details. “The facts of the crimes committed by the Canadians involved in the incident are clear, and the evidence is solid and sufficient,” he said. The embassy urged Canada to respect China’s judicial sovereignty and “stop making irresponsible remarks.”
At least one Canadian is facing the death penalty in China, Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, who was convicted of drug trafficking. He was initially sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, in 2019 he was sentenced to death at a one-day retrial, a month after Canadian authorities arrested Huawei executive Ms. Meng.
“Foreigners, like everyone in China, risk all sorts of arbitrary detention and unfair trials,” said Maya Wang, Associate China Director at Human Rights Watch. “The universe of the case is really big and we only hear about some of them from time to time.”
After the release of two Michaels, people wanted the relationship to be unzipped, but that wasn’t happening on a substantial scale, said Lynette Ong, a professor of Chinese politics at the University of Toronto.
The timing of these executions is how Beijing can maintain pressure and maintain Canada’s leverage in bilateral debates, Ong said.
Joy Dong contributed to reporting from Hong Kong and Toronto’s Vosa Isai.
