John McCallum did not toe the federal government’s line on the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.
The explanation for the firing of Canada’s ambassador to China was given by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland as MPs returned to Parliament Hill for the first time since the Christmas break.
(CBC)
Freeland says McCallum’s comments were not consistent with the position of the government, which is that Meng is the subject of a legal proceeding that is not politically motivated.
She added that made it untenable for McCallum to continue in the post.
The former diplomat apologized last week for misspeaking about her extradition case and then said it would be ”great for Canada” if the U.S. would drop its request.
Meanwhile, the foreign affairs minister says the government remains focused on gaining the release of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.