Canadian MPs Marie-France Lalonde (left) and Helena Jaczek. Images taken from Lalonde and Jaczek's Faceboo
Vancouver/Taipei, Jan. 14 (CNA) Two Liberal Party members of Canada's Parliament were encouraged to cut short a visit to Taiwan before Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to Beijing, a spokesperson for one of the members of Parliament has confirmed to CNA.
MPs Helena Jaczek and Marie-France Lalonde were part of a five-person, cross-party parliamentary delegation that had planned to visit Taiwan from Jan. 10 to 16.
On Tuesday, however, the two lawmakers cut short their planned visit and left Taiwan, one day before a Jan. 14-17 visit to China by Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The three other members of the Canadian delegation -- Conservative parliamentarians Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Adam Chambers and Melissa Lantsman, who is also the party's co-deputy leader -- remained in Taiwan, and met with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Tuesday.
Asked about the early departure, Josh Arnold, a constituency manager for Jaczek, forwarded CNA a joint statement by the two MPs stating that they would be returning home on "advice from the government."
"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 statement said.
Despite their departure, "Canada's position on Taiwan has not changed," the lawmakers said, adding that they also remained committed to efforts by Carney to "expand sustainable and diverse trade partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region."
The government's move was roundly criticized by Canada's Conservative Party opposition, which accused it of bowing to Chinese pressure.
"Ordering elected representatives home to avoid offending an authoritarian regime sends a clear message: convenience comes before principle," Conservative MP Michael Chong said, according to a Globe and Mail report.
"This kind of retreat weakens our democracy, our relationship with Taiwan, and rewards Beijing's intimidation," Chong said.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) confirmed Wednesday that some members of the Canadian delegation had had to return home early due to unforeseen circumstances, while the others continued with their scheduled visit.
MOFA said Taiwan and Canada have "actively expanded cooperation" in recent years, and that it will "continue to work with Canada to deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields."
According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., Carney's visit to Beijing is the first by a Canadian leader since 2017, and comes at a time when his government is looking to reset ties with China.
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