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WEDNESDAY,SEPTEMBER11,2019| THEGLOBEANDMAILO NEWS | A

For the second time in almost three
months, Canada sailed a warship
through the strait that separates China
from the self-governedisland of Taiwan

• a measure seen as a demonstration of
  support for the United States and other
  allies who regard the passage as an in-
  ternational corridor rather than Beij-
  ing’s internal waters.
  Canada-China relations are strained
  after Canada’s arrest in December of
  Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a
  U.S. extradition request. Beijing subse-
  quently seized two Canadian citizens
  and ended purchases of canola seed and
  soybeans and banned Canadian imports
  of pork and beef.
  Canadian Halifax-class frigate HMCS
  Ottawa transited the Strait of Taiwan on
  Monday and Tuesday, according to the
  military’s Canadian Joint Operations
  Command. China regards Taiwan as a
  wayward province and considers the is-
  land and the strait as Chinese jurisdic-
  tion even though Taiwan, with 23 mil-
  lion people, has its own autonomous,
  democratically electedgovernment.
  The Canadian vessel was shadowed
  by the Chinese military during its tran-
  sit, a source at the Department of Na-
  tional Defence said. The source spoke on
  the condition of anonymity because
  they were not authorized to discuss this
  matter publicly.
  Chinese military regards the 180-kilo-
  metre-wide Taiwan Strait as internal wa-
  ters and a strategic waterway, and Beij-
  ing has deployed more than 1,500 mis-

siles along its length. China regularly

conducts military drills in the area and

“has sent bombers, fighter jets and its

aircraft carrier over and around the

strait as shows of force,” according to the

New York-based Council on Foreign Re-

lations.

HMCS Ottawa’s transit comes more

than 80 days after HMCS Regina, anoth-

er Canadian frigate, passed through the

strait. The United States regularly sends

its own naval vessels through the Tai-

wan Strait, including as recently as Au-

gust, effectively challenging Beijing’s

claims to what the West regards as an in-

ternational waterway. A French frigate

also passed through in April, an unusual

voyage for a European military ship.

Military officials in Can-

ada played down the Tai-

wan Strait passage, saying

HMCS Ottawa plotted this

course to shorten sailing

time between two assign-

ments.

“This route was chosen

as it was the most direct

route between UN Security

Council sanctions-moni-

toring activities in North-

east Asia and engage-

ments in Southeast Asia,”

a statement from Cana-

dian Joint Operations

Command said.

The United States regu-

larly describes sailings by its naval ves-

sels in disputed regions such as the

South China Sea as “freedom of naviga-

tion” operations undertaken to counter

what the U.S. considers to be excessive

territorial claims on ocean waterways.

The Canadian military noted once again

in its Tuesday statement that the Royal

Canadian Navy never undertakes free-

dom-of-navigation operations. It said

transit of the Taiwan Strait was conduct-

ed in accordance with international law,

including the United Nations Conven-

tion on the Law of the Sea.

David Mulroney, former Canadian

ambassador to China, said Canada is

backing allies with such sailings even

though Ottawa is low-key about the

transits. “What we’re trying to do is

quietly show solidarity with the United

States and other countries,” he said.

“We’re doing the right thing as quietly as

possible.”

He said such measures are appropri-

ate for a Pacific country such as Canada.

“It’s key for membership in Asia-Pacific

institutions. If you have no role in the re-

gion, no security role in the region, why

bother showing up?”

Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a senior

fellow at the University of Ottawa’s In-

stitute for Science, Society and Policy,

and a former Canadian

government official who

once worked closely with

China, said she regards the

Canadian vessel’s passage

as sending the “the mess-

age that we continue to see

Taiwan’s territory as sepa-

rate from mainland Chi-

na.”

She said it’s good to see

Canada continuing to

demonstrate support even

as Canada-China relations

have soured.

The Chinese embassy in

Canada, asked for com-

ment on HMCS Ottawa’s

transit of the strait, urged Canada to re-

spect its One China policy. Under the

policy, Canada does not recognize Tai-

wan as a sovereign state and does not

maintain official,government-to-gov-

ernment relations with Taipei.

“The Taiwan question matters on Chi-

na’s core interest. We urge the Canadian

side to strictly abide by the One China

principle, prudently and properly han-

dle the Taiwan-related issues to avoid

harm to China-Canada relations,” the

Chinese embassy said in an e-mailed re-

ply.

MilitaryofficialsinCanadahaveplayeddownthepassageofHMCSOttawa,seennearHonoluluin2008,throughtheTaiwanStrait,
apassagethatChinaregardsasinternalwatersratherthananinternationalcorridor.MC2WALTERPELS/HANDOUT

AnotherCanadianwarship

sailsthroughtheTaiwanStrait

HMCSOttawa’stransit

throughthecontestedwaters

quietlysignalsCanada’s

supportforU.S.andallies,

formerambassadorsays

STEVENCHASEOTTAWA

Whatwe’retryingto

doisquietlyshow

solidaritywiththe

UnitedStatesand

othercountries.

We’redoingthe

rightthingasquietly

aspossible.

DAVIDMULRONEY

FORMERCANADIAN

AMBASSADORTOCHINA

Elementary and high-school students

across Canada will have a chance to par-

ticipate in the federal election voting

process first-hand through a national

program.

The initiative, known as Student Vote,

is designed to encourage students to

learn aboutgovernment and the electo-

ral process while they also improve dig-

ital literacy skills.

Civix, an independent charity, is work-

ing with Elections Canada to offer the

program to students for the fall election –

a relationship considered to be impor-

tant for the charity’s credibility and non-

partisanship.

Since 2003, it says it has co-ordinated

46 student voting programs across the

country. This year will be the sixth feder-

al election and largest to date for the pro-

gram.

The Globe and Mail is also a supporter

of the program for the election. The

newspaper will provide free online ac-

cess to its website for affiliated schools

until the end of October.

The goal is to encourage students to

follow along with election-related news

and learn about political parties, the

leaders and the electoral process.

“News literacy is a vital component of

being a citizen so helping youth under

the voting age to understand our demo-

cratic processes is a privilege,” said David

Walmsley, editor-in-chief of The Globe.

Having access to a credible source of

information is particularly important in

2019, said Taylor Gunn, president of Ci-

vix. “What we are trying to do is ... make

sure that we are building habits of in-

formed citizenship that come from con-

suming news from credible sources,” he

said. “That is an essential skill of citizen-

ship is how do you know what is true in

2019 and how do you navigate political

claims from parties or third parties or

friends or family.”

The Student Vote program is open to

any elementary, middle or high school

without cost and schools may offer it to a

single class or the entire student popula-

tion. More than 25,000 teachers are ex-

pected to participate in federal election

activities, Civix says, adding that more

than a million students are expected to

cast their ballots from thousands of

schools with results from all 338 ridings

in the country.

Students are to cast their ballots the

week before the election and results will

be published after polls close on Oct. 21.

“What we are trying to do is use the

election as a teachable moment,” Mr.

Gunn said. “We are just so grateful for the

teachers that decide to take this up and

who decide our democracy is important

enough to bring lessons and activities

about how to be a citizen into their class-

room during an election.”

Any teacher can sign up for the pro-

gram, he added, noting registration in-

cludes access to educational tools in-

cluding online pedagogical materials,

posters and election supplies. The mate-

rials are available in both official lan-

guages.

Programaimsto

engage,educate

studentson

votingprocess

KRISTYKIRKUPOTTAWA