Conservatives accuse Liberals of 'kowtowing to Beijing' as 2 MPs cut Taiwan trip short

On Jan 12 2026, Canada’s federal Conservatives accused Liberal MPs Helena Jaczek and Marie‑France Lalonde of “kowtowing to Beijing” after the pair abruptly ended a Taiwan visit funded by the Taipei government. The delegation, which also included three Conservatives—Melissa Lantsman, Adam Chambers and Shelby Kramp‑Neuman—overlapped with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s four‑day trip to China, scheduled to be the first Canadian PM visit since 2017. The MPs said they were “informed by advice from the government” and returned to Ottawa, citing a desire to avoid confusion over Canada’s One China policy. Conservatives’ critic Michael Chong warned that the retreat weakened Canada’s ties to Taiwan and could undermine democracy.