The Department of Foreign Affairs has said on Tuesday that they know of 123 Canadian citizens who are currently in Chinese jail. Two of these citizens are on death row, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
Some contention was created when, upon releasing the number of Canadian’s detained, the Department of Foreign Affairs invoked the privacy act so to hide further details about these Canadians.
Dan Albas, who is the Conservative member of parliment for Central Okanagan-Similkameen, was irritated that further information was not released: “The Act gives too much insulation for the government … I would like to see a little more transparency from your department.”
When the Liberal Assistant Deputy Foreign Minister, Heather Jeffrey, was asked for clarification over these locked-up Canadians, she stated that these figures include “cases of arrest and detention.”
