Trump going into high stakes summit in China ‘looking weak,' former diplomat Charles Burton on CTV
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Friday, May 08, 2026
Charles Burton's Statement and Answers at Canadian Commons Science Committee on Concerns Over Imports of Chinese Electric Vehicles on April 20, 2026
Charles Burton's Statement and Answers at Canadian Commons Science Committee on Concerns Over Imports of Chinese Electric Vehicles on April 20, 2026
Charles Burton's Statement and Answers at Canadian Commons Procedure Committee on Proposed Amendments to Canada Elections Act to Better Counter Chinese Covert Interference on May 7, 2026
Charles Burton's Statement and Answers at Canadian Commons Procedure Committee on Proposed Amendments to Canada Elections Act to Better Counter Chinese Covert Interference on May 7, 2026
Sunday, April 05, 2026
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Burton: A Canadian’s Past, Present and Future with China
A Canadian’s Past, Present and Future with China
https://www.cips-cepi.ca/2026/03/10/a-canadians-past-present-and-future-with-china/For decades, the assumption in Ottawa was that economic and institutional engagement would inevitably lead to political liberalization. We operated on the sincere, naive belief that by sharing our democratic values, the Chinese Communist Party would naturally liberalize. That hope was systematically dismantled. As Xi Jinping ascended to paramount leadership, it became undeniably clear that the regime never intended to reform. Instead, they weaponized our openness to modernize their economy and strengthen their totalitarian grip. The ultimate confirmation of Beijing’s hostility toward those speaking the truth came when I was formally sanctioned by the PRC in December 2024.
Given the current political trajectory, decisive action seems unlikely. Beijing wouldn’t approve, and the grim reality is that a generation of politically connected Canadian business elites and the corporate lawyers who facilitate their deals have become spontaneously beholden to the Chinese regime’s geostrategic interests. They are desperate to return to “business as usual,” doing so at a terminal cost to Canadian national security and our fundamental sovereignty.
When our leaders assess what they are willing to trade away for the transactional promise of market access, they would do well to remember the wisdom of St. Matthew: “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
Burton: There’s a blur around our Foreign Interference Transparency Commissioner
There’s a blur around our Foreign Interference Transparency Commissioner
Is the Government’s actual plan to have a Transparency Commission that is weak, compliant and underfund, and undercut its independence by having the new Foreign Interference Coordinator control who gets listed on the Foreign Influence Registry?
The fear is that Mr. Boegman will end up being a figurehead, more active in issuing information bulletins and updates than exposing figures who help promote the agendas of Beijing and Moscow in Canada — and receive benefits for doing so.
Many people will be watching to ensure Mr. Boegman flourishes in his job. Canadians have long been clamouring for a transparency registry. They will want to be certain that it is be being properly used to protect our national security.
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Burton: The Illusion of “Beneficial” Relations Ottawa’s Latest Capitulation to Beijing
Burton: The Illusion of “Beneficial” Relations Ottawa’s Latest Capitulation to Beijing
So, what is China’s actual motive in wanting to send a delegation of ersatz “parliamentarians” to Canada?
It is, of course, a classic United Front operational tactic: an opportunity to identify and curry favour with Canadian policymakers who might serve as promising targets for future influence. The broader, more insidious purpose is to promote the illusion that China is a legitimate nation-state with a legislature that serves as a moral and political equivalent to Canada’s democratic parliament.
China’s national constitution makes the ridiculous claim that this utterly impotent NPC is the “supreme organ of state power.” Try telling that to the Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party’s Political Bureau, where Xi Jinping’s true regime authority resides.
The bottom line is that the Canada-China Legislative Association is a Communist Party United Front Work Department proxy agency. It serves the Chinese regime’s geostrategic purposes, and Canadian taxpayers are footing half the bill.
Friday, February 13, 2026
Burton: China’s political roiling is getting attention here in Canada - iPolitics
Burton: China’s political roiling is getting attention here in Canada - iPolitics
Whatever is really going on with Xi’s grip on power (and officials in Washington and elsewhere are watching very closely), the glaring fundamental barrier between Beijing and the West remains the incompatibility between the absolute authority of China’s Communist Party and the societal accountability of democratic institutions — including Canada’s.
This is not simply a case of divergent opinions over human rights or the role of sovereignty in relations between nations. Before we even begin negotiating the details of diplomatic or trade agreements, seeing the Canada-China relationship as a “strategic partnership” first requires us to believe that we can have reciprocal, fair state-to-state relations.
And that requires buying into a myth, not reality.
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