Canadian Parliamentary Delegation Meets Taiwan President, Aims to Learn to Repel Chinese Interference

President Tsai Ing-wen speaks about recent Chinese military drills in Taipei, Taiwan, on April 11, 2023. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)

The Canadian parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan met with President Tsai Ing-wen Wednesday, committing to boost unity with the democratic ally and also to learn from its experience in pushing back against foreign interference from communist China.

Liberal MP John McKay, who led the ten-member cross-party delegation to Taiwan, expressed gratitude to Tsai for making time to meet with the group, saying that it’s a “very unusual” gesture from the president at a time when “another nation has been very aggressive towards your very existence,” which is a reference to China.

The delegation’s visit, spanning from April 9 to 15, came on the heels of a three-day military exercise launched by the Chinese military that simulated a blockade of Taiwan, protesting Tsai’s recent meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy while she was en route to Guatemala and Belize, countries with diplomatic ties to Taiwan. The Chinese military sent 91 aircraft and 12 naval vessels surrounding the island on the final day of its military drill on April 10, according to Taiwan’s National Defense Ministry.

“In the face of continued authoritarian expansionism, it is critical that democracies stand united,” Tsai told the MPs in a press conference on April 12.

“Canada is a very important democratic partner to Taiwan. We will do our utmost to jointly safeguard the values of freedom and democracy with Canada and other like-minded international partners.”

While speaking to reporters in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked if he supported the MPs’ visit to Taiwan.

“Committees and parliamentarians make their own determinations, but I think it’s extremely important to show our support for democratic values and principles around the world,” he said at a press conference on April 12.

“China’s aggressive actions in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan are problematic and we really hope that there'll be a deescalation of tensions in the region. We will continue to stand for our values, we will continue to stand up for democracies everywhere around the world, because that’s what Canadians expect us to do.”

Heightened Awareness

The Canadian delegation featured MPs with national security and foreign affairs backgrounds, and has openly expressed its mission to learn from Taiwan’s experience in pushing back against China’s interference.

“Now as you’ve rightly noted, our committee here is heavily weighted to defence and security; necessarily so. And all of these members of the delegation occupy significant positions in their party or on their committees,” McKay told Tsai. “It is a testimony to the concern that Canada has for the ongoing viability of Taiwan, that we are here to identify that Taiwan’s issues are Canada’s issues and Canada’s issues are Taiwan’s issues.”

He also pointed to China’s interference in Canada, which ranges from meddling in federal elections to operating alleged secret police stations on Canadian soil, according to recent media reports.

“That has heightened our awareness of these times and brought us together as nations—democratic nations who are facing this menace,” McKay said, adding that the delegation is looking to learn from Taiwan’s experience on how it upholds its democracy despite “massive efforts on the part of the People’s Republic of China.”

MP Ken Hardie, who chairs the House Canada–China committee, presented to Tsai a copy of a parliamentary report entitled “Canada and Taiwan: A Strong Relationship in Turbulent Times,” saying that the MPs from all major political parties are “in solidarity with not only what we found, but the deeper meaning behind it,” which he said was the democratic values shared by Taiwan and Canada.

Apart from McKay and Hardie, the delegation includes Liberal MP Randeep Sarai, Conservative MPs Michael Chong, James Bezan, Raquel Dancho, and Cheryl Gallant, NDP MPs Heather McPherson and Lindsay Mathyssen, and Bloc Québécois MP Stéphane Bergeron.