Guy Saint-Jacques

Guy Saint-Jacques was Canada's Ambassador to the People's Republic of China from 26 September 2012 until 9 October 2016.[1]

Biography

St Jacques joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1977.

St Jacques served in New York City, Mexico City, Kinshasa, Hong Kong, Washington and London.[1]

St Jacques was appointed Ambassador for Climate Change in 2010.[1]

St Jacques was appointed to Beijing by John Baird,[1] and presented his credentials to Hu Jintao. He liaised in Beijing extensively with Cong Peiwu, while the latter was Director-General of the Chinese Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs.[2]

St Jacques retired after 30 years of service in October 2016, while Stephane Dion was Minister of Foreign Affairs and just short of one year after the Trudeau government came to power.

Drop the gloves with China on canola

In March 2019, St Jacques suggested that in retaliation for China's suspension of canola imports from Canada that Canada could expel Chinese athletes who were training in Canada for the 2022 Beijing Winter Games and could bring Beijing before the UN Security Council where it could level accusations of bad faith. He also suggested bringing the Chinese to the WTO process.[3]

To PMO: call me

St Jacques made the headlines in July 2019, when someone at the PMO convinced Paul Thoppil, ADM for Asia-Pacific at Global Affairs Canada, called him to ask for him not to comment on China in the media. St Jacques said the PMO should call him directly if it has a problem with what he is saying.

Why don't they pick up the phone? If they have some beef to raise with me, call me.

It came to light that the PMO had employed similar tactics with another Ambassador, David Mulroney. Later on once the damage had been done, the Minister in charge of Global Affairs, Chrystia Freeland, called him privately to beg his forgiveness, and her colleagues quashed a motion for an investigation by a Parliamentary subcommittee into the affair.[4][5][6]

The two Ambassadors earned strong support in from Colin Robertson, a former colleague, when he said:[7]

The federal government looks committed to hearing no evil, seeing no evil and doing nothing on the China file, for fear of further upsetting Beijing. That is no policy for Canada.

Chinese supply-chain v Hong Kong refugees

In early May 2020, St Jacques pointed out that it would be nice to shelter refugees from Hong Kong in light of the 2020 police crackdown on 2019 protestors for democracy:[8]

I think these people would make a good contribution [to Canada] but the big dilemma for the federal government is that this is happening at the time when we need China's goodwill to supply medical equipment we are desperate for.

References
  1. "Canada names Guy Saint-Jacques ambassador to China". CBC.ca. 2012-09-26. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
  2. Le Bigot, Joël (30 November 2019). "Cet intrigant métier d'ambassadeur".
  3. "Time for Canada to drop the 'white gloves' in diplomatic feud with China, says ex-diplomat". CBC. 22 March 2020.
  4. "Second former envoy says Ottawa wants unified message on China". The Globe and Mail Inc. 24 July 2019.
  5. Editorial, Board (31 July 2019). "China has dropped the gloves. Should Canada turtle, or fight back?". The Globe and Mail Inc.
  6. "As Freeland privately apologizes to ex-ambassador to China, Liberals quash investigation into alleged 'muzzling'". National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. 30 July 2019.
  7. Robertson, Colin (30 July 2019). "Canada's passive playbook on China takes too many pages from Beijing". The Globe and Mail Inc.
  8. "Freeland mum on whether Hong Kong asylum seekers will be granted refuge as bigger wave predicted". The Globe and Mail Inc. 4 May 2020.
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