The federal government says it “strongly condemns” the execution of four Canadians in China earlier this year over what Beijing says were “drug-related crimes.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly confirmed the number to reporters outside a cabinet meeting in Ottawa late on Wednesday, after Global Affairs Canada said it was aware that multiple Canadians had been put to death in China this year.
“There are four Canadians that have been executed,” she said. “We strongly condemn what happened, and of course our hearts and minds are with the families.”
The minister said all four were dual Canadian-Chinese citizens but would not share further details about the victims or their cases to honour their families’ request for privacy.
Joly said she and former prime minister Justin Trudeau had personally appealed to the Chinese government for leniency in the Canadians’ sentences. She said she was in touch last week with Canadian officials in China and Ottawa offering assistance to the families.
“We will continue to engage with China as we continue to not only strongly condemn but also ask for leniency for other Canadians facing a similar situation,” she said.
Global Affairs Canada has previously declined to confirm how many Canadians had been executed in China this year or when the executions had taken place.
“Canada strongly condemns China’s use of the death penalty, which is irreversible and inconsistent with basic human dignity,” spokesperson Charlotte MacLeod said in an emailed statement.
The Chinese Embassy in Canada defended its use of the death penalty in a separate statement to Motorcycle accident toronto today, adding that Chinese authorities “fully guaranteed the rights and interests of the Canadian nationals concerned.”
“China always imposes severe penalties on drug-related crimes and maintains a ‘zero tolerance’ attitude towards the drug problem,” the statement said. “The facts of the crimes committed by the Canadian nationals involved in the cases are clear, and the evidence is solid and sufficient.
“We urge the Canadian side to respect the rule of law and China’s judicial sovereignty, stop making irresponsible remarks, work in the same direction with China, and jointly promote the improvement and development of China-Canada relations with concrete actions.”
The embassy did not specify what crimes the Canadians allegedly committed or provide details on their identities. Joly would say if China has provided evidence to support the charges, but acknowledged the Canadians had been accused of “criminal activities, according to China, linked to drugs.”
The executions were first reported by the Globe and Mail, which said it had learned about them earlier this week.
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Ottawa confirmed that Robert Schellenberg of Abbotsford, B.C., who was arrested in 2014 on drug smuggling charges and was sentenced to death years later, was not one of the Canadians executed.
“Canada continues to advocate for clemency for Robert Schellenberg and provides him and his family consular assistance,” McLeod said.
A Global Affairs Canada official speaking on background said Canada is aware of approximately 100 Canadian citizens currently being detained by China.
China leads the world in executions, putting more prisoners to death than any other country in the world combined, according to Amnesty International.
“These shocking and inhumane executions of Canadian citizens by Chinese authorities should be a wake-up call for Canada,” Amnesty International Canada secretary-general Ketty Nivyabandi said in a statement.
The exact number of executions in China is unknown as it is classified as a state secret, but more than 1,000 are believed to have been carried out in 2022 alone. More than 2,000 have been reported by human rights groups and researchers in previous years.
The Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide says “possibly thousands” of people are believed to be on death row in China at any one time, but added many prisoners are executed within two months of their sentence.
Death sentences and executions reported in the media “are a fraction” of those imposed or carried out, the organization adds.
China ‘not in the mood’ to make concessions or offer clemency
Guy Saint-Jacques, who previously served as Canada’s ambassador to China, told Motorcycle accident toronto today the Canadian government was unable to stop China from executing two Canadians of Chinese origin on drug trafficking charges during his tenure.
He said in 2015, both former prime minister Stephen Harper and former governor general David Johnston personally appealed to Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping, to ask for clemency on the eve of one of the executions, to no avail.
“Despite all those pleas, the Chinese proceeded with the execution,” he said.
“I would say that our interventions at best delayed the execution maybe by one year.”
At least four Canadians were sentenced to death for alleged drug smuggling crimes between 2019 and 2020, including Schellenberg, whose sentence was upgraded in 2019 from 15 years in prison after a retrial.
At the time, relations between Ottawa and Beijing were at a low point due to the Canadian detention of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, and China’s subsequent holding of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
The other three prisoners — Ye Jianhui, Xu Weihong and Fan Wei — are of Chinese descent and their status is not known.
Despite efforts to improve relations since 2021, when Wanzhou and the “Two Michaels” were released, tensions have emerged again after Canada imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and related components, which has sparked retaliation from China.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has also called on Canada to take more action against China over fentanyl and efforts to enter the North American auto market.
Trump’s own actions against China, including aggressive tariffs, had led some analysts to believe Beijing may be looking to stabilize relations with other trading partners like Canada.
“This, to me, signals that China is not in the mood to make any concessions, and maybe that is not something that China’s interested in doing right now with Canada,” Vina Nadjibulla, vice-president of research and strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, told Motorcycle accident toronto today.
“I don’t foresee a significant improvement given these signals that we’re getting from China.”
Late last year, Ottawa sanctioned eight Chinese officials it accused of “grave human rights violations” against ethnic and religious minorities, including Uyghurs, and voiced concern about democracy in Hong Kong.
Beijing angrily accused Canada of hypocrisy, citing its historical treatment of Indigenous peoples.
“We are at a tough time in the relationship,” said Saint-Jacques, who added there was a possibility for a reset after a Canadian federal election this year.
He said Canada must partner with other like-minded countries and continue to pressure China to “modernize its practices” and abolish the death penalty, while warning Canadians of the potential risk they face.
“The message that we have to reinforce with Canadians is, if you travel to China, you better not to engage in drug trafficking, and by all means travel with a Canadian passport if you want to have consular access,” he said.
—With files from Global’s Marc-Andre Cossette