Published in the Toronto Sun
6 March 2019
Re: “Huawei CFO suing Canada” ( Associated Press, 4 March 2019): When reading this article, I actually had to look at the top of the page to make sure that someone didn’t slip in a page from The Onion into my Toronto Sun because I figured this had to be a satirical piece. So China is concerned about the alleged violations of Meng Wanzhou’s constitutional rights in regards to the actions of CBSA officers? China?! Seriously?! In a related story, I wonder what our “Sunny Ways” Prime Minister “Little Potato” thinks of China’s “basic dictatorship” now that Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, the two Canadians detained in China, have officially been accused of espionage by Beijing, an accusation that usually results in a bullet to the back of the head in China?
By the way, has Justin figured out yet that the name “Little Potato” is not a term of endearment?
I absolutely love summer, especially after a particularly brutal winter, but I don’t think October 21 can come fast enough this year. For me, this fall’s election will be a referendum on whether we endorse blatant partisan corruption (allegedly).
(Trudeau is too busy trying to defend his own government to worry about such things)
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The original article that inspired this column:
Huawei CFO suing Canada
Canadian Press
TORONTO — An executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei is suing the Canadian government, its border agency and the national police force, saying they detained, searched and interrogated her before telling her she was under arrest.
Lawyers for Meng Wanzhou said Sunday they filed a notice of civil claim in the British Columbia Supreme Court. Canada arrested Meng, the daughter of Huawei’s founder, at the request of the U.S. on Dec. 1 at Vancouver’s airport. She is wanted on fraud charges that she misled banks about the company’s business dealings in Iran.
- Huawei CFO’s extradition to U.S. gets green light from feds
- Trump adviser ‘proud’ of Canada, Trudeau, for handling of Huawei case
- Huawei unveils 5G phone with folding screen
The suit alleges that instead of immediately arresting her, authorities interrogated Meng “under the guise of a routine customs” examination and used the opportunity to “compel her to provide evidence and information.” The suit alleges Canada Border Service Agency agents seized her electronic devices, obtained passwords and unlawfully viewed the contents and intentionally failed to adviser her of the true reasons for her detention. The suit said only after three hours was she told she was under arrest and had right to counsel.
“This case concerns a deliberate and pre-meditated effort on the part of the defendant officers to obtain evidence and information from the plaintiff in a manner which they knew constituted serious violations of the plaintiff’s rights,” the claim says.
Meng is out on bail and living in Vancouver awaiting extradition proceedings.
