François-Philippe Champagne has been promising a tougher line on China for over a year.
It was a curious quirk of providence that at the precise moment he finally announced tough new measures aimed at addressing human rights violations in Xinjiang province, he was being shuffled out of the foreign affairs portfolio.
The press release outlining new measures to combat the repressive surveillance, mass detentions and mistreatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang province hit the wires at 9.02 on Tuesday morning, just as Champagne was taking part in a virtual cabinet shuffle that saw him moved from foreign affairs to innovation, science and industry.
The look of forced geniality on his face was reminiscent of Jody Wilson-Raybould, after she was demoted from justice to veteran’s affairs two years ago.
It would be hard to argue that Champagne has been a triumph as Canada’s most senior diplomat. The two Michaels remain in a Chinese prison and Canada has yet to produce a new China policy framework to replace the gushing “comprehensive engagement” that characterized the first four years of the Trudeau government.
[Interesting Read]