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Meng Wanzhou
ChinaDiplomacy

Canadian MPs join campaign to release Meng Wanzhou, citing Sinophobia and plunging relations with China

  • Niki Ashton of the NDP and Paul Manly of the Greens are taking part in the campaign to have the extradition case against Meng dropped
  • Critic Meena Wong said she was ‘astonished and disappointed’ by Ashton’s participation in the campaign

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A poster promotes a Canadian campaign to release Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. Photo: Handout
Ian Youngin Vancouver
Two Canadian MPs are taking part in a campaign to release Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou that cites “deteriorating relations with China and the rise of Sinophobia in Canada”.
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The New Democratic Party’s Niki Ashton and the Green Party’s Paul Manly are both listed as speakers at the “Zoom to Free Meng Wanzhou” online panel discussion on Tuesday evening.

Manly’s participation is in line with the policy of the Greens, who have three MPs and in July called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal government to ask the US to drop its charges against Meng and its request to have her extradited.

But the participation of Ashton – a former leadership contender in the NDP, which has 24 MPs and holds the balance of power in parliament – does not reflect an official position of her party.

Canadian MP Niki Ashton of the NDP is supporting a campaign to free Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. Photo: AP
Canadian MP Niki Ashton of the NDP is supporting a campaign to free Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. Photo: AP
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Last week, the NDP joined with the opposition Conservatives to pass a motion calling on the Liberal government to combat Chinese aggression and decide whether to ban tech giant Huawei from building Canada’s 5G internet networks. Ashton was one of three NDP MPs who abstained.
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