link: MP's anti-China comments not our view: government
MP's anti-China comments not our view: government
Last Updated: Friday, April 18, 2008 | 1:16 PM ET
CBC News
The federal government has distanced itself from anti-Chinese comments made by outspoken Calgary Conservative MP Rob Anders.
"The comments made by the member for Calgary West are his own views and do not reflect the views of the government of Canada," Conservative MP Deepak Obhrai said during question period Friday.
Anders said Thursday that "China is the worst human rights abuser in the world."
"It's not just against Tibetans, it's against their own people, their own population," Anders told the CBC Radio morning show The Calgary Eyeopener.
He called the 2008 Beijing Olympics a "propaganda exercise" and suggested Tibetans are ready to start an "insurrection" during the Games.
Anders, a longtime pro-Tibet activist, said no Canadian politician should attend the Games, but stopped short of calling for a full-on Canadian boycott.
Obhrai, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs, said Friday that "Canada has no plans to boycott the Beijing Olympics" but will continue to raise the issue of human rights with China.
The Liberals say the remarks are another example of government blunders on the international stage, including Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier's recent suggestion Afghanistan's government should replace the governor of Kandahar, who has faced allegations of corruption.
Bernier later clarified his remarks, saying he was trying to reflect the UN's concerns about corruption.
Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae said Friday that Anders's remarks send the wrong message and will damage already-strained relations with China.
"This government's gaffes keep growing by the hour," said Rae.
"The Conservatives seem determined to not only diminish Canada's reputation in the eyes of the world but also to do serious damage to some of our key international relationships."
Anders was the only MP to oppose Parliament's move in 2001 to grant former South African president Nelson Mandela an honorary Canadian citizenship, calling him a former "communist and a terrorist."
MP's anti-China comments not our view: government
Last Updated: Friday, April 18, 2008 | 1:16 PM ET
CBC News
The federal government has distanced itself from anti-Chinese comments made by outspoken Calgary Conservative MP Rob Anders.
"The comments made by the member for Calgary West are his own views and do not reflect the views of the government of Canada," Conservative MP Deepak Obhrai said during question period Friday.
Anders said Thursday that "China is the worst human rights abuser in the world."
"It's not just against Tibetans, it's against their own people, their own population," Anders told the CBC Radio morning show The Calgary Eyeopener.
He called the 2008 Beijing Olympics a "propaganda exercise" and suggested Tibetans are ready to start an "insurrection" during the Games.
Anders, a longtime pro-Tibet activist, said no Canadian politician should attend the Games, but stopped short of calling for a full-on Canadian boycott.
Obhrai, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs, said Friday that "Canada has no plans to boycott the Beijing Olympics" but will continue to raise the issue of human rights with China.
The Liberals say the remarks are another example of government blunders on the international stage, including Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier's recent suggestion Afghanistan's government should replace the governor of Kandahar, who has faced allegations of corruption.
Bernier later clarified his remarks, saying he was trying to reflect the UN's concerns about corruption.
Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae said Friday that Anders's remarks send the wrong message and will damage already-strained relations with China.
"This government's gaffes keep growing by the hour," said Rae.
"The Conservatives seem determined to not only diminish Canada's reputation in the eyes of the world but also to do serious damage to some of our key international relationships."
Anders was the only MP to oppose Parliament's move in 2001 to grant former South African president Nelson Mandela an honorary Canadian citizenship, calling him a former "communist and a terrorist."
