Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development

Comité permanent des affaires étrangères et du développement international

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 15, 2015 -

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development today presented a report entitled: Hong Kong’s Democratic Future. The report is the result of the Committee’s study of the political situation in Hong Kong in the context of the proposed framework for the election of Hong Kong’s chief executive in 2017.

The report addresses concerns that have been raised both within Hong Kong and internationally about the implications of that proposed framework for Hong Kong’s democratic future, and in particular the concern that it would not result in a real choice for Hong Kong people. The report also examines the situation in Hong Kong from a broader perspective in consideration of different political, economic and social challenges, including what appears to be an environment of deepening polarization.

The Committee is of one mind that Canada has both an interest and a role in ensuring that the spirit of democracy is respected in Hong Kong, a city with which Canada shares important history, economic ties and personal connections. The report also expresses hope that dialogue will be pursued between those on different sides of the political debate in Hong Kong, and that mutually beneficial proposals will be explored.

The report, which was adopted unanimously, recommends that the Government of Canada:

1. state its support for the democratic aspirations of Hong Kong people, including the need for genuine universal suffrage in the election of their political leaders;
2. reiterate its support for the ‘one country, two systems’ principle, and for the 1984 Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong; and,
3. encourage dialogue that can lead to governance reforms in Hong Kong that are broadly accepted by all concerned.

The full text of the report is available on the Committee’s website.