OTTAWA, Sept 15 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The recent news that Chinese “family planning” officials had killed a newborn, drowning him in a rice paddy in front of his parents, as part of their one-child policy has led to political controversy in Canada. The Canadian Alliance party is demanding parliamentary hearings into human rights abuses in China before Prime Minister Jean Chretien goes there on another trade mission. The Globe and Mail reported Wednesday the objections from Alberta MP and newly appointed foreign affairs critic, Monte Solberg, who said this incident is just one example of many human rights abuses in China, including religious repression.
Solberg wrote Commons foreign affairs committee chairman, Toronto Liberal MP Bill Graham, to ask for the hearings noting “Canadians need assurances that the Chinese government is moving toward a policy of respect for human rights – an important part of the policy of constructive engagement.” He said “hearings would help give Mr. Chretien the “ammunition he needs to pressure the Chinese” on human rights during the November trade mission.
Graham said there would likely not be time to hold hearings prior to the Prime Minister’s departure.
(Globe & Mail – September 14, 2000)
See LifeSite’s coverage of the baby’s drowning:
Chinese “Family Planning” Officials Kill New-Born