Former Canadian ambassador to China Dominic Barton was a guest at a discreet activity by a Canadian-Chinese business lobby led by the Desmarais clan on the same day that a public inquiry into election interference was ruled out.

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On Tuesday, special rapporteur David Johnston declined to recommend a public inquiry into foreign interference in the country because “the intelligence is sensitive.”

At the same time in Beijing, former diplomat Dominic Barton, formerly of McKinsey, attended a meeting of the Canada-China Business Council (CACC), founded by Paul Desmarais Sr., who has long been close to the Liberal family Top of the power corporation empire.

The newspaper has learned that the members-only exchange was held under the “Chatham Rule,” meaning that participants are not allowed to reveal the identities of the speakers for confidentiality reasons.

Asked by The newspaper, The CACC and Dominic Barton were unable to immediately grant an interview due to the time difference.

Relationships “in the freezer»

According to Guy Saint-Jacques, the former Canadian ambassador to China, Mr. Barton is described as “pro-China.”

“Today he is chairman of Rio Tinto,” he remembers. More than 54% of the company’s revenue came from China last year. Interviewed by The newspaperRio Tinto declined to comment.

According to Saint-Jacques, relations between Canada and China would have been “in the deep freeze” if an investigation into the interference had been launched in the country.

“There is already no chemistry between Justin Trudeau and Xi Jinping,” he says. The cold after the arrest of Meng Wanzhou and the two Michaels left scars between the two countries, he emphasizes. The activities of the business lobby take place in this context.

“Eyes wide open”

In the interview at NewspaperFormer Quebec premier Philippe Couillard, who was also invited to attend a Canada-China Business Council event in early May, reiterates that we cannot turn our backs on China.

“You have to keep your eyes open. If we want to go there, we must do so with full knowledge of the diplomatic authorities of Canada and Quebec,” said the man who visited that country twice as prime minister.

“It is illusionary to believe that we can bypass or ignore China. It is a giant of the global economy that will only get bigger,” he summarizes.

In his opinion, we must remember that it is the second largest economy in the world. “It is prudent to maintain open communication relationships. There are a lot of Canadian and Quebec companies that are there,” he argues.

For Ari Van Assche, full professor of international affairs at HEC Montreal and a specialist on China, it is completely normal for former politicians to attend such meetings, as happens in Europe or elsewhere in the world.

“That does not mean that the Canada-China Business Council is completely in agreement with what is being put forward. It’s pretty normal,” he concludes.