Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said today the Liberal government needs to be more forceful with Beijing regarding the plight of two Canadians detained in China, attacking what he calls the prime minister's "naive approach."
Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, and entrepreneur Michael Spavor were both arrested in China earlier this week on suspicion of "endangering national security," said China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang on Thursday.
Their detentions came days after Canada detained the chief financial officer of the Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei, Meng Wanzhou, on an extradition request from the U.S. She has been released on $10 million bail.
Scheer said it's important that Canada has an independent justice system, and that police agencies continue to make decisions based on evidence and and the rule of law.
"We also need to make sure that we unequivocally denounce any type of repercussions to Canadians on foreign soil in China as a result of the actions of independent police agencies here," he told reporters on Thursday.