In a major setback to Chinese efforts to combat pro-Uyghur geopolitical postures, the Canadian parliament on Wednesday unanimously voted in favor of a proposal for the resettlement of 10,000 Uyghur Muslim refugees from China’s Xinjiang region into Canada over two years. The House of Commons voted 322-0 for Liberal member of parliament Sameer Zuberi’s bill.
Responding to a question about the proposal, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday that Xinjiang’s people live in peace and work happily, while human rights safeguards for all ethnicities in the region were continuously improving.
“We urge the Canadian side to respect facts and truth, stop using the Xinjiang question for ulterior motives and political manipulation, stop spreading false information and misleading the public,” Mao said.
What Canada’s pro-Uyghur proposal is all about?
The Canadian parliamentary proposal called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau-led government to recognise that Uyghurs and other ethnic Turkic Muslims who have fled to third countries face “pressure and intimidation” by China to return. The undivided 322-0 support is likely to put pressure on his minority government to take action.
“Canada will always do its part in helping those in need of protection,” Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said in a statement. “I am committed to working with members of all parties to advance the measures outlined in the motion adopted by the House of Commons today.”
Human Rights groups accuse China of severe abuses of the rights of Uyghur people, a Muslim ethnic minority with a population of about 10 million in West China’s Xinjiang province. This includes the mass use of forced labor in internment camps.
Canada-US ties: Strained by concern for Uyghurs?
In 2021, Canada became one of the first countries to label China’s treatment of the Uyghurs as ‘genocide’. Canada was also among the countries that tried to hold a debate at the United Nations last year about alleged human rights abuses by China against Muslims in Xinjiang. Diplomatic relations between Canada and China have been strained over recent years.
(With inputs from agencies)
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