Bloc, NDP support Tory bid to revive committee studying Canada-China relations

OTTAWA — MPs have voted to re-establish a special committee on Canada-China relations. 

The committee was first set up in 2019 in light of prolonged diplomatic friction with China, with a mandate to examine and review the bilateral relationship, including economic, legal and security aspects. 

A Conservative motion to resurrect the committee passed Monday, with the party saying China’s Communist government threatens and targets Chinese-Canadian pro-democracy and human rights advocates and poses a threat to Canada’s national security.

The Tories say the committee is especially important because of a pact China and Russia signed just before Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.