Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has asked Canada’s ambassador to China John McCallum to step down following comments he made regarding the case of detained Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.
“Last night I asked for and accepted John McCallum’s resignation as Canada’s ambassador to China,” Trudeau said in a statement on Saturday.
“For almost two decades, John McCallum has served Canadians honourably and with distinction.”
WATCH: McCallum admits he “misspoke” on Meng Wanzhou extradition case
Trudeau added that Jim Nickel, the deputy head of mission at the Embassy of Canada in Beijing, will represent Canada in Chinese affairs. The statement did not specify whether this is a permanent arrangement.
Trudeau’s statement also did not indicate why McCallum was asked to step aside. The resignation, however, comes after McCallum was quoted in StarMetro Vancouver on Friday saying it would be “great for Canada” if the United States drops an extradition request against Meng.
Meng, the chief financial officer of China’s smartphone giant Huawei, was arrested on Dec. 1 in Vancouver on behalf of the U.S., where she is facing fraud allegations.
Two Canadians, businessman Michael Spavor and ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig, have since been detained in China in what observers have suggested was a retaliatory move.
WATCH: ‘We are a country of rule and law’ Trudeau on Meng extradition
Earlier this week, McCallum came under fire for comments about the extradition case that he made with a group of Chinese-language journalists outside Toronto.
“I think she has quite good arguments on her side,” McCallum said of Meng at the Markham, Ont., meeting. “One, political involvement by comments from Donald Trump in her case.
“Two, there’s an extraterritorial aspect to her case. And three, there’s the issue of Iran sanctions in her case and Canada does not sign on to these. So I think she has some strong arguments she can make before a judge.”
On Thursday, McCallum said he “misspoke” and regretted making those comments.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer had called on Trudeau to fire McCallum, saying the remarks raised concerns about the politicization of the Meng case. Trudeau initially came to McCallum’s defence before asking for his resignation Friday.
In a tweet Saturday afternoon, Scheer said, “It should have never come to this.”
“Justin Trudeau should have fired his ambassador the moment he interfered in this case. Instead, he did nothing and allowed more damage to be done,” he said.
WATCH: Canadian ambassador to China tells Chinese-language media that Huawei CFO has strong case
With files from the Canadian Press and Kerri Breen
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