The government of Canada reportedly invited China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to train with Canadian Army troops in cold weather conditions, Rebel News reported Wednesday.
The information was unintentionally released in an access to information request (the Canadian equivalent of a Freedom of Information Act request) that redacted some sensitive material with a grey and not a black marker. The 34 pages of classified documents include a barrage of emails, memos and letters between the the Canadian Department of National Defense (DND) and the Department of Global Affairs.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks in the House of Commons as legislators convene to give the government power to inject billions of dollars in emergency cash to help individuals and businesses through the economic crunch caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Apr. 11, 2020. REUTERS/Blair Gable
The cold weather training was initially scheduled to take place at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, a garrison located about 150 miles west of Ottawa. It was apparently canceled by the Canadian military in January 2019 due to deteriorating relations between Canada and China, according to Rebel News. (RELATED: Tucker Carlson Rips Justin Trudeau For Using COVID-19 Pandemic To Push Social Controls)
A Jan. 30, 2019 email included in the cache of documents from the senior policy officer for DND’s Asia-Pacific Policy reads, “The winter survival training will not talk place this winter (2019). Future options have not been considered … We are happy to work with the GAC [Government of Canada] to tailor the appropriate messaging.”
A letter from Ian Shugart, deputy minister of foreign affairs, related the concern that “DND/CAF engagements with China should be guided by the following principles: Canada does not want to be the partner that is reducing normal bilateral interactions [and] there is still a desire to maintain an ongoing relationship with China while recognizing and managing the risks.” (RELATED: With Canada Day Celebrations Cancelled, Thousands Blanket Ottawa Streets To Protest Trudeau Government ‘Corruption’)
Demonstrators protest “corruption” in the Canadian government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in Ottawa, Canada on July 1, 2020. Daily Caller photo by Janet Krayden
China has recently sentenced three Canadians to death on drug charges, causing considerable friction between the two counties.
Canada’s decision to arrest Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in December 2018 also infuriated China, with state radio blasting Canada as an international “wh*re.” Canada has agreed to extradite Meng to the United States — where she is wanted on suspicion of violating sanctions against Iran.
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau sent 17 tons of personal protective equipment to China early in the coronavirus pandemic even though it meant Canadian medical facilities experienced shortages of the material.