Free and Fair Speech in a Democracy
May 13, 2020
Cong Peiwu, Ambassador to Canada for the Peoples Republic of China
Ottawa On
Subject: Free and Fair Speech in a Democracy
Dear Mr. Ambassador,
Publishers from around the world are concerned about our treatment by your government. The Peoples Republic of China, and the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) consular staff and agents, continue to suppress, object to, alter opinion pieces or once published, file lawsuits against those practicing their constitutional right to free and fair speech. Unsubstantiated legal actions are then filed against a publisher or journalist in our courts, wasting precious court time and resources by all. Publishers and news outlets have documented and reported on the retaliation for unfavourable coverage of activities carried out by the United Front Work, PLA, or by the Ministry for State Security in every western democracy.
I would be remiss if I did not compliment you on the sophistication and brilliance of your diplomatic personnel, some of whom have been educated by top universities here in Canada and in other western democracies. What becomes apparent to those who research and study the operations of your government, is that you have not only studied the legal loopholes of our western democracy - you have indeed mastered them. Becoming a Chess Grandmaster is quite an accomplishment. Brilliant as it appears, however, the ever-present threats of legal action, social media harassment, and intimations of harm towards those speaking out are not tolerated in a free and fair society.
All levels of our government refuse to offend the PRC's sensibilities and remain silent on important issues of free speech or matters relating to the Coronavirus outbreak in the City of Wuhan. The letter by the 100 + global leaders (of the MacDonald-Laurier Institute, MLI) appeared to be a natural request - given such a catastrophic worldwide event. These insights would provide the W.H.O. and all nations with new benchmarks for eradicating the current virus or attenuating the impact of a new one. Most disconcerting for citizens and the Press is the fact that not one Liberal parliamentarian has come out to defend our free speech, which has given the impression to many that our government fears a backlash from Beijing.
For fifty years, our diplomats and politicians have been most accommodating to the Chinese government and the people of China. Still, I believe it is time for a measure of reciprocity if you envisage being considered a ‘power for good’ - and “with a shared destiny, all under Heaven,” in the words of Tianxia, from the 19th congress address by Leader Xi Jinping.
Just as leader Xi was able to freely articulate his vision, ideas, and beliefs for the future of the people of China, we as publishers - from around the globe - must also have the right to publish free and fair speech. This is especially true when the body of evidence, using declassified information and insights from an array of sources, paints a resounding picture. Many of the stories and events reported viewed in isolation might amount to very little, yet they have formed a pattern. Once compiled into a single book’s narrative, one has an explosion of thought and evidence for all those engaged in global affairs and public policy.
Today, Hidden Hand: Exposing how the Chinese Communist Party is reshaping the world, is being released in Germany. For the first time, two distinguished academics - one from Australia, Clive Hamilton, and one from Germany, Mareike Ohlberg - have written the most compelling global account of China's soft and sharp power diplomacy. The Canadian version, published by Optimum Publishing International, includes a foreword by respected Canadian academic and diplomat, Charles Burton, who has testified before the Commons Special Committee on Canada - China Relations in February 2020. This book is meticulously researched from a wide range of global experts on China. The collaboration has resulted in the most comprehensive book on the CCP's operations in western nations that has ever been published: it highlights how your extensive network of agents, diplomats, academics, and business leaders can help undermine the very fabric of democracy - through misinformation, all the while holding a firm grip on China’s citizens wherever they may find themselves residing.
China has been given enormous opportunities to advance and modernize, due in part to the generosity of Canadians: this began with Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, who became one of the first world leaders to recognize the PRC in 1970. It was a significant step forward for the PRC, and led other nations to seek diplomatic relations with China. Mao Zedong and other great Chinese leaders had signed onto the ideals of the United Nations, though have not yet implemented much of the requirements to be considered a full and participating member - such as recognizing the fundamental freedoms of religion, speech and of assembly, at home and abroad.
Ultimately, those three tenets distinguish Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedom from both the Chinese Constitution and the Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party, which clearly outline the ambitions of the Party and its leadership for the Chinese nation under a single party apparatus. For the rest of the world, we appear to be mere chattels in which to serve your perceived destiny as Emperors of the World.
What we expect in Canada is for all to abide by the laws that govern a free and fair society, and for others not to manipulate and obfuscate those laws in order to control and undermine our great nation. Allowing our free press to cover and report such transgressions provides the public with insight: we will not stand for your government to further subvert these rights.
Under separate submission to the Commons Special Committee on Canada/China Relations #CACN, I will ask for parliamentary hearings on the role of the PRC in media and publishing. Topics shall include Media Manipulation, Cyber and Disinformation Campaigns, the Ownership and Control of Media Assets, and Propaganda Operations by the PRC in Canada. Many before me have laid the foundations for such an inquiry; however, I think the actions of your government in denouncing the Macdonald-Laurier Institute for publishing the letter of over 100 notable politicians, academics and business leaders, speak to a new level of aggression in silencing opposition to a free press. You cannot hold “the two Michaels” over our heads forever.
In Canada, we welcome and admire hard-working immigrants from all nations, for they contribute to our vision of a truly fair, open and honest society - where we respect each other not for the colour of our skin, but for the of the content of our character*. The ideals of ethics, morality, and being kind to one’s neighbours must be preserved for all, and we cannot allow these rights to be altered by an authoritarian regime with its vision of “One Nation, All under Heaven.”
Sincerely yours,
Dean Baxendale
President
Cc The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Global Affairs
Cc CACN and all committee members
Cc select media members familiar with Canada China relations
*Martin Luther King
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