Canadian lawmakers back resettlement of 10,000 Uyghur Muslims

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada’s parliament unanimously voted on Wednesday to approve a non-binding proposal to resettle 10,000 Uyghur refugees from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to Canada over a two-year period.

The House of Commons passed Liberal MP Samir Zuberi’s bill 322-0, saying Uyghurs and other Turkish Muslims who fled to third countries face “pressure and intimidation” to return from China. asked the government to recognize

Passage of the bill will not compel Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to follow the proposal, but undivided support could put pressure on his minority government to take action.

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said in a statement: “Canada will always do its part to help those in need of protection.” I am committed to working with members of all political parties to this end.”

Human rights groups say China has committed widespread human rights abuses against the Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim minority of about 10 million people in the western region of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, including mass forced labor in concentration camps. are accused of China categorically denies any abuse.

In 2021, Canada will be one of the first countries to label China’s handling of the Uyghur genocide. Canada was also one of the countries that failed to get the United Nations to debate China’s alleged human rights abuses against Muslims in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region last year.

China’s foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning said Thursday that people in Xinjiang are living and working happily in peace, while human rights protections for all ethnic groups in the region continue to improve, responding to questions about the proposal. said.

“We urge the Canadian side to respect the facts and truth, stop using the Xinjiang issue for ulterior motives and political manipulation, and stop spreading false information and misleading the public,” Mao said.

Diplomatic relations between Canada and China have been strained in recent years for a variety of reasons.

Reported by Ismail Shakil of Ottawa. Additional reporting by Eduardo Baptista, Beijing.Editing Sandra Muller, Robert Barthel

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