TORONTO—The Canadian government was forced to intervene after a Canadian citizen’s passport was seized last month by the Chinese consulate in Toronto.
Journalist Zhang Zhaopei had applied for a visa in August which required him to submit an application along with his passport. He had hoped to visit his family in China, which he has been unable to see for nine years.
But when he went to pick up his visa, he was given a blank sheet of paper and told to list extensive personal information about his work, family, and personal history.
Zhang declined, saying he would abandon his visa application. However, consulate staff refused to return his Canadian passport if he didn’t provide the requested details.
The following week a spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Canada had formally called on the Chinese embassy in Ottawa to return Zhang’s passport.
“We are aware that the individual in question had requested a visa on Friday to travel to China and that his passport has not been returned,” spokesperson Melissa Lantsman told The Epoch Times the week after the incident.
“A Canadian passport is the property of the government of Canada. We have made a formal request to the Chinese embassy that the passport be returned into our possession.”
Zhang was later told his passport would be returned to him if he wrote a letter formally withdrawing his wish to return to China. He again refused and Passport Canada then intervened and asked the consulate once again to return Zhang’s passport.
The consulate eventually relented and on Monday Zhang was able to retrieve his passport after providing a written receipt indicating that his passport had been returned to him.
He thanked the Canadian government for helping him get his passport back.
