E-Paper
Halifax’s plans to award Beijing-critic Tsai upsets Canadian govt: Report
Canada’s defence minister Harjit Sajjan, when asked to comment on the development, refused to be drawn into committing himself into a decisive position on whether Ottawa will pull the plug on funding to HFX
A leading Canadian security forum’s relations with the Canadian government have reportedly turned sour over its plans to honour the president of Taiwan with a top award.
Halifax International Security Forum – or HFX as it is popularly referred to – has been planning to give the John McCain Prize for Leadership in Public Service to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen at its annual conference this November.
But Politico has reported that the Canadian government, which is a major sponsor of HFX, could rethink the partnership because it doesn’t want to overtly upset the Chinese government by backing a forum that intends to award Tsai, a prominent critic of Beijing.
Relations between Canada and China have been rocky since 2018, but at the same time, Ottawa reportedly doesn’t want to aggravate the ties further by staying associated with the Canadian security forum that seeks to honour the Taiwanese president.
Beijing recognises Taiwan as part of its territory, while President Tsai deems Taiwan as a territory independent of mainland China’s firm control.
Canada’s defence minister Harjit Sajjan, when asked to comment on the development, refused to be drawn into committing himself into a decisive position as of now.
Appearing before the House of Commons committee on Canada-China relations, Sajjan was asked if Ottawa would cut off funding to HFX as a result of its decision to award the Taiwanese president.
“When the funding request comes to me, as it does every year, I have stated I will take a look at it,” Sajjan was quoted as saying in response, according to CBC News. “The Halifax International Security Forum is an independent organisation and they make their own choices with regards to the awards.”
The defence minister traditionally inaugurates HFX’s conference and delivers a keynote speech.
The Politico report has already led to criticism of the Canadian government from observers including the late Senator John McCain’s daughter, Meghan McCain. “Absolutely pathetic - Canadian government is a bunch of cowards condoning Chinese genocide,” she tweeted.
Her mother Cindy is on the Halifax board of directors and is widely expected to soon be appointed an ambassador by the US government.
HFX has yet to formally announce the awardee this year. Politico quoted its vice-president Robin Shepherd as saying, “President Tsai of Taiwan is a well respected international leader, the first female president of Taiwan, and a strong global advocate for democracy. She would certainly be an ideal fit for this award.”
A spokesperson for Taiwan’s foreign affairs ministry, Joanne Ou, told the news outlet Focus Taiwan that if Tsai wins the prize, “it would be an affirmation and honour for both President Tsai and the people of Taiwan in their anti-pandemic efforts and democratic achievements”.
