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In the coming days, Chinese government officials across Canada will begin hosting events to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

The events present a dilemma for Canadian political leaders: amidst an ongoing diplomatic row sparked by the arrest last December of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, the continued detention in China of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, and ever-present concerns about China’s human rights record, do they attend or not?

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For Charles Burton, who once served as a Canadian diplomat in Beijing, the answer should be a simple — and unequivocal — “no.”

“I judge it is highly inappropriate for any Canadians to participate in celebratory activities hosted by the Government of China, so long as Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig are being arbitrarily detained,” he said.

“Canadian attendance this year would be morally wrong.”