Canada joins U.S. and allies in Beijing Olympics boycott

Ottawa: Canada will join the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia in a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics over human rights concerns, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on December 8.

The announcement came after the White House, the Australian Government and the U.K. government confirmed diplomatic boycotts of the Winter Games in February to protest Chinese human rights abuses. China has vowed to react with “firm countermeasures”. Mr. Trudeau said his Government has been talks with allies about it in recent months.

“We are extremely concerned by the repeated human rights violations by the Chinese Government,” Mr. Trudeau said.