Canada Will Boycott Beijing Olympics, Joining U.S., Australia, U.K.
ROOM FOR ONE MORE?
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the country will not send its officials to Beijing, as it “remains deeply disturbed by reports of human rights violations in China.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that Canada will diplomatically boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics. In a Wednesday statement, the Canadian minister said that the country “remains deeply disturbed by reports of human rights violations in China,” though it would continue to support its athletes. Canada joins a rapidly expanding list of nations refusing to send their officials to Beijing next February, along with the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The Biden administration was the first to announce a boycott on Monday, citing China’s “egregious” human rights abuses against the minority Uighur population. Australia and the U.K. were hot on its heels, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying earlier on Wednesday that the U.K. would “effectively” boycott the Games. China responded to the news of the U.S. boycott on Tuesday. Its Foreign Ministry swore it would take “resolute countermeasures,” without specifying what those would be.
Canada remains deeply disturbed by reports of human rights violations in China. As a result, we won’t be sending diplomatic representatives to Beijing for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. We’ll continue to support our athletes who work hard to compete on the world stage.
