Question Period Note: Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Games

The Government of Canada is extremely concerned by the repeated human rights violations by the Chinese Government, and as a result, will not be sending any diplomatic representation to the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games this winter.

• Our government is deeply concerned by reports of human rights violations against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

• The promotion and protection of human rights remain a core foreign policy priority for our government.

• As a result, the Government of Canada will not be sending any diplomatic representation to the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games this winter.

• Boycotting Games is seen by some as a way of encouraging changes in behaviour, making a clear statement in a concerted approach to highlight foreign policy goals. Many argue the contrary, stating that even if one or more countries decided to boycott, such collective action would have little impact on the host country. Not boycotting could, however, appear to condone the host country’s actions. Some have noted that a Games boycott would punish and instrumentalize athletes who have invested their lives in their training and preparation for the opportunity to compete. Many suggest that other levers at the government to government level are the only way to make an impact, or that exploration of the imposition of sanctions on China should be considered beforehand.
• On February 6, 2021, 13 Canadian Members of Parliament from all five major federal parties in Canada signed a letter urging the International Olympic Committee to move the Beijing 2022 Games to another country over reported human rights abuses in China.
• In recent months, members of parliament have made several statements regarding the situation in China, and what action Canada should take in response. The Official Opposition in Canada urged the Prime Minister to request moving the Beijing 2022 Games to another country, and Bloc Québécois Parliament Member Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe brought forward a motion in the House of Commons to have the Games postponed by one year by the International Olympic Committee.
• On December 6, 2021, the Biden administration announced that while the athletes competing for Team USA would have the administration’s full support, the US would not be sending government officials to the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (Games) as a statement against China's "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang."
• On December 8, 2021, the Australian and United Kingdom (UK) governments announced that they would also be joining the US in a diplomatic boycott of the Games. New Zealand has also stated they will not be sending diplomatic representatives to the Games but has indicated the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason.
• Also on December 8, 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada too would not be sending diplomatic representatives to the Games.
• Following the announcement, the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee released a joint statement recognizing the decision and noting the important distinction that was made between the participation of athletes vs participation of government officials at the Games.
• Sport Canada continues to work with Global Affairs Canada and other federal agencies as well as the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees to provide support in the lead up to the Games.
• The Beijing 2022 Games remain a priority for international diplomacy as well as for media, businesses, and non-governmental organizations around the world less than 60 days to the opening of the Olympic Games in China next February. Canada’s relations with China have become a major foreign policy issue for the Government of Canada.
• The recent appearance of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron complicates preparations for the Beijing 2022 Games Organizing Committee but it affirms the Games will go on and in a safe environment with all the measures it is putting into place.

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