Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there is a fundamental difference between Canada’s troubled relationship with Indigenous Peoples, and China’s systemic abuse and human rights violation against ethnic Muslim Uyghurs.
Trudeau says Canada knows its relationship with Indigenous Peoples is broken but it had a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and is working to try and address the issues.
China, he says, isn’t even willing to admit there is a problem.
His comments come hours after a diplomatic showdown between Canada and China at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Switzerland Tuesday.
Canada’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Leslie Norton, read a statement on behalf of 44 countries urging China to allow “immediate, meaningful and unfettered access” so independent observers can visit its western Xinjiang region.
At the same meeting, Chinese envoy Jiang Duan demanded Canada stop its violations of human rights in its own backyard.
— with files from The Associated Press