Tories Say Liberal MPs’ Early Exit from Taiwan ‘Rewards’ Beijing

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Two Liberal MPs part of a delegation of parliamentarians visiting Taiwan are returning home early on Ottawa’s advice as Prime Minister Mark Carney departs for China, a move Conservatives said hurts democracy.

Government caucus Liberal MPs Helena Jaczek and Marie-France Lalonde were part of a delegation to Taiwan that includes three Conservative MPs. The trip was sponsored by the government of Taiwan.

The Epoch Times reached out to Jaczek and Lalonde for comment, as well as Liberal MP Judy Sgro, who chairs the informal Canada-Taiwan friendship parliamentary group. A response was not received by publication time.

Tory MP Michael Chong, who serves as his party’s foreign affairs critic, accused Ottawa of “kowtowing to Beijing” in cutting the trip short.

“Two Liberal MPs cutting short a visit to Taiwan because of pressure from government officials is nothing short of kowtowing to Beijing’s authoritarianism,” he said.

Chong noted that that the Tory MPs on the trip, Melissa Lantsman, Adam Chambers, and Shelby Kramp-Neuman, were not asked to return.

“This kind of retreat weakens our democracy, our relationship with Taiwan, and rewards Beijing’s intimidation,” said Chong.

The Taiwan trip by parliamentarians overlaps with Carney and a large delegation of Canadian officials travelling to China from Jan. 13 to 17.

Carney is seeking to expand ties with China after several years of frosty diplomatic relations between Ottawa and Beijing.

The Communist Chinese Party (CCP) has long sought to “reunite” Taiwan under Beijing’s rule, despite Taiwan being a self-governed democracy. Taiwan never fell under the rule of the CCP when it took over China in 1949 and has remained independent since.

China has escalated its aggression toward the island nation in recent years, launching major military drills to encircle Taiwan in late December 2025. Canada reacted by saying it opposes “any unilateral attempts to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.”

Countries wishing to have a diplomatic relationship with Beijing are required to not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign entity. Canada switched its recognition of the proper seat of the Chinese government from Taipei to Beijing under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1970.

Only 12 countries still formally recognize Taiwan, including Guatemala, Paraguay, and the Vatican.

Jaczek and Lalonde told the Globe that Canada’s position on Taiwan “has not changed,” and said the goal of the visit was to hold meetings on trade, culture, and “strong people-to-people engagement.” MPs were scheduled to meet with Taiwanese government officials.

“It’s important that we avoid confusion with Canada’s foreign policy, given the overlap with the Prime Minister’s engagement in Beijing, which was only confirmed last week,” the MPs said.

Ottawa’s tone towards Beijing has changed in recent months as it sought to repair ties.

Carney also called U.S. President Donald Trump positively “transformational” for how he has dealt with China.

More recently, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said, after her visit to China in October, that Ottawa and Beijing have a “strategic partnership.”

In late October, following a meeting between Carney and Chinese Leader Xi Jinping in South Korea, the two leaders “agreed that their meeting marked a turning point in the bilateral relationship,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Ottawa wants to expand trade with China as part of its plan to double non-U.S. exports over the next decade. Carney and Anand have said they are pursuing a “pragmatic” engagement with Beijing.

Meanwhile, Conservatives say the Carney government’s approach appears similar to how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau handled China.

“It’s increasingly looking like Prime Minister Carney is taking the same approach as Trudeau on the communist government of China,” said MP Chong.

Trudeau had pursued stronger ties with China, including a free trade deal, but these efforts stopped after China detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. The move came in apparent retaliation for Canada executing an extradition warrant against Huawei executive Meng Wangzhou in late 2018.