Twenty Canadian members of parliament (MPs) visited Taiwan last year on all-expenses-paid trips, more than to any other country.
“Taiwan the Most Popular Junket Destination for MPs,” read a headline in the Canadian newspaper theGlobe and Mail.
The visits were detailed in a new report issued this week by the conflict of interest and ethics commissioner’s office in Ottawa.
The trips — which included airfare, hotel and sometimes gifts — were all paid for by the Chinese International Economic Co-operation Association, a business and trade lobby organization, the report said.
The second most popular destination for Canadian MPs was Israel, with 10 trips last year.
As the report gathered widespread publicity across Canada on Tuesday, MPs bristled at suggestions that foreign governments encouraged the visits in order to influence parliamentary votes in their favor.
“I resent any suggestion that I’m being influenced,” said Newfoundland MP Scott Andrews, who received C$8,000 (US$8,150) for travel and accommodation to Taiwan.
“At the end of the day we come to our own conclusions. It broadens my horizon of Canada and the world,” he said.
Paul Dewar, the National Democratic Party’s (NDP) foreign affairs critic, said the problem was that parliament did not give MPs a budget for foreign travel.
“We are one of the few countries where MPs don’t have access to a budget for travel. I’m dependent on sponsors, otherwise I wouldn’t get to other countries,” he said.
However, he acknowledged that the current system could leave MPs open to criticism.
“There should be some accountability as to why MPs are taking these trips. Was there any personal gain? Was there any requirement for you to do anything in return? That is something that should be questioned,” he said.
On the 20 trips to Taiwan, the Canadian MPs often took their spouses and the total travel and accommodation costs amounted to C$133,500.
Fifteen of the trips were taken by members of the Conservative Party, three by members of the Liberal Party and one each by members of the NDP and Bloc Quebecois.
Canadian MPs took a total of seven expenses-paid trips to China last year.
“Canada’s Conservative government has angered China on several fronts since assuming power one year ago. [sic] A Chinese official confirmed [that] political problems over the future of Taiwan — one Conservative backbencher tried to pass a bill viewed by China as recognizing Taiwan’s sovereignty — could negatively influence talks aimed at giving Canada access to China’s outbound tourism market,” Canwest News Service reported.
“Taiwan continues to promote its sovereignty, partly through the sponsored trips offered to MPs, in the face of the federal government’s so-called one-China policy, which considers the small island country part of China [sic],” it said.
When Canada under former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau established relations with Beijing in 1970, the Chinese side initially demanded that Ottawa acknowledge Beijing’s claim over Taiwan. However, after Ottawa refused to commit to such clarity on the question, Beijing compromised by allowing Canada to announce that it “takes note” of the claim, without further commenting on it.
The latest China-Canada joint statement, issued during a visit to Beijing by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in December 2009, states: “The Chinese side emphasized that the question of Taiwan concerns China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“The Canadian side reiterated its consistent and long-standing One China policy, established at the founding of diplomatic relations, and underlined its support for the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, including through efforts by both sides to increase dialogue and interactions in economic, political and other fields,” it said.
Additional reporting by J. Michael Cole
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