Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  First, let me say that's a persistent problem. The dimension of the confrontation is very broad and multi-faceted. One of the things that our Congress tried to do to deal with that was to establish a select committee in the Congress, in the House of Representatives, headed by Chairman Gallagher.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Absolutely not. It's not a Canadian issue or problem. It's a problem in the United States. It's a problem in Europe. It's a problem in Asia. It's a problem for everybody who is participating in the fallacy that things are still the same in Hong Kong as they were five years ago. That's just not the case.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  The first thing they need to do is accept that those risks exist and then draw the consequences. It's not politically or economically realistic to think that all these business connections are just going to go away. That's not going to happen. But it should be more apparent to business leaders and chambers of commerce, who have been very bad about this, to make it clear that what's happening in Hong Kong now is a real signal of problems ahead if it doesn't change.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  The whole trial itself is based upon a fallacious premise that, through both diplomatic and media means, we need to keep rebutting. There is no crime here, and yet Jimmy has already been pronounced guilty by the Chinese political authorities. If you go back and look at the media, you see that they have already termed him the most dangerous criminal in Hong Kong.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I'm not the person best suited to address what's going on in Canada itself, but I am certain that their freedom to operate in Canada is not an issue. What is an issue is how the information and the work they're doing gets relayed back in Hong Kong and Asia. To the extent that you can use your outlets and your resources to amplify their voices and to see that what they are writing about and are concerned about is heard and reflected, I think it will help build the international focus on what's going on in Hong Kong that all of us should want to see.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Let me say that it's been very encouraging to me, having been involved in this effort now for a little more than two years, to see the interest you have shown in Hong Kong and Jimmy Lai, and the growing sense that this is becoming an important issue, not just because you have so many Canadians living in Hong Kong and so many Hong Kong residents in Canada, but also because of the importance that Canada attaches in its foreign relations to addressing human rights issues.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  The short answer is that we're working in a number of venues to encourage parliaments and governments to take action. It has not been as widespread as we would hope yet, but it is becoming an increasingly important conversation in various congresses and parliaments in Europe, as well as in the United States and Canada.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I don't read Chinese, but I suspect not. There is an entity called the Hong Kong Free Press that is still doing a pretty decent job. It's illustrative to watch the South China Morning Post,, which used to provide pretty free commentary on Hong Kong society and politics. It's a good example of what I was just describing.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Sure. I'll try to be briefer this time given the time limits. It's actually a crucial element of what's happening. The way this works is that the government makes an example of one person, or one entity, and then that creates a chilling effect on everybody else. It then gradually moves forward.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you for your comments. First, on the specific issue of the Hong Kong economic and trade office in Toronto, the reason we have spoken about its operations is that, at least, in the United States—and I assume here in Canada, and wherever else it's located throughout the world—it was established in recognition of Hong Kong's autonomy, a special status that no longer exists, which is why we and many others are recommending that its special privileges be revoked.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you very much. Mr. Chair, thank you for the invitation to meet with the subcommittee today. This committee has heard much already about Jimmy Lai and repression in today's Hong Kong. It is an undeniable fact, no matter how hard the Chinese Communist Party and its instruments in Hong Kong pretend otherwise, that the freedoms and rights promised under the Sino-British agreement have been gutted.