cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/53062409

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Prime Minister Mark Carney told a closed-door fundraiser crowd Monday night that floor-crossing MP Michael Ma represents “Liberal values,” after the former Conservative politician drew controversy over comments about forced labour in China.

In video obtained by Global News, Carney told the crowd at the GTA fundraiser that the Liberals were “glad” to welcome Ma to their ranks after the MP crossed from Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives in December.

“(Ma) joined, he said, because he was guided by the values of building up others, delivering results — he’s a results-oriented individual — and choosing the path that creates opportunities for Canadians,” Carney said.

“These are fundamental Liberal values, fundamental Canadian values and that’s why Michael Ma has found a home in our party.”

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The $1,775 per ticket fundraiser was closed to the media and the public, but Global News obtained video from a source who was in the room. The material reviewed by Global includes extended speeches from both Carney and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson.

Ma was forced to apologize publicly last week after grilling a witness about forced labour in China at a House of Commons committee meeting on electric vehicles. The witness was suggesting that Chinese-made electric vehicles include parts produced by slave labour.

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Ma demanded to know if Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a senior fellow at the University of Ottawa, had witnessed the practice with her own eyes.

“Have you witnessed forced labour in (the Chinese province of) Shenzhen? Have you witnessed forced labour? Just a short answer — have you witnessed forced labour in Shenzhen, yes or no?” Ma asked, suggesting the alternative was “hearsay.”

Ma’s brusque remarks were initially misinterpreted by media outlets as referring to the western province of Xinjiang, which had been a major topic during the meeting. Human rights abuses against Xinjiang’s Uyghur Muslim population have been well-documented by international monitoring groups.

Several hours after his questions, Ma issued an apology and indicated he “inadvertently came across as dismissive of the serious issue of forced labour.”

[…]

Carney has put an emphasis on diversifying Canadian trade away from the United States […] That includes thawing relations with China and other economically important but dubiously reliable partners. Canada-China affairs have been frosty in recent years, after Beijing detained Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor on national security grounds — largely perceived as retaliation after Ottawa arrested Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. warrant.

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