Hello dear reader! My name is Georgia and I will be working as the CCF’s communications director this year. I am a freelance journalist and activist based in Toronto. You can find me on X @georgia_j_k and reach me at georgiajinkelly@uvic.ca. 

This week we'd like to draw your attention to some statements on the missile attacks and retaliation between Israel and Iran — also this week, the G7 on China (which was not invited), and the BC Ferries corporation came under criticism for contracting a Chinese state-owned shipyard to construct four new large ferries. This is despite the increasing sentiment that the Canadian economy ought to engage more—not less—with Chinese companies. 

June 18, 2025

Canada-China Focus, a project at the Centre for Global Studies, University of Victoria, takes issue with the fearmongering and demonization taking place regarding the awarding of a BC Ferry contract to Weihai shipyards.
 
As a project based in BC and Canada, we agree with the BC Ferry and Marine Workers' Union statement that it would be preferable to have new ferries built in BC or Canada. The Spirit-class ferries, built in British Columbia, well-crafted and reliable, remain centrepieces of the fleet. From the information available, however, BC shipyards are no longer prepared to build such large vessels.
 
With bidding on the construction of the ferries now international, the fact that Weihai shipyards succeeding in winning the contract with a bid that will save taxpayers 1.2 billion dollars should not be a matter for condemnation. MP Don Davies, speaking at the University of Victoria earlier this year, emphasized the need to increase Canadian self-sufficiency, reduce our reliance on the US and re-establish “stronger trade, economic and technological relations with China and other non-US partners.” Similarly, Manitoba NDP leader Wab Kinew has called for a re-set in Canada-China relations.
 
Unfortunately, a recent Vancouver Sun article resorts to consulting a supposed US expert to fan unjustifiable fears about this contract being a military threat. When the United States is threatening Canadian sovereignty, it is all the more important for BC and Canada to diversify its trade, not engage in war propaganda. We have seen how the demonization of China resulted in horrific instances of anti-Asian racism during and after the 2020-21 pandemic. Has nothing been learned from this terrible experience? As a province that has a long history of anti-Indigenous and anti-Asian racism, illustrated vividly in our publication 1923: Challenging Racisms Past and Present, we ask that news media play close attention to preventing geopolitics from creating racist hysterias.
 
Canada-China Focus
For further information contact:
Georgia Kelly, CCF Communications Director, georgiajinkelly@uvic.ca

For more context on the BC Ferries story, see here. 

China's President Xi Jinping on Tuesday blamed Israeli attacks on Iran for "the sudden escalation of tensions" in the Middle East, urging an end to military conflicts.

Published: June 13, 2025

Media Statement

South Africa expresses profound concern regarding the attacks conducted by Israel on targets within Iran on 13 June 2025, including reported impacts on military areas, nuclear facilities, and civilian infrastructure. Reports of civilian casualties, alongside military personnel, are deeply troubling.

Published: June 17, 2025
Written by: Bernie Sanders

Netanyahu started this war with a surprise unilateral attack against Iran, which has already killed hundreds of people and wounded many more. This attack was specifically designed to sabotage American diplomatic efforts: Israel assassinated the man overseeing Iran’s nuclear negotiating team, despite the fact that further talks with the United States were scheduled for Sunday. Whatever you think of the corrupt and authoritarian Iranian regime, this attack clearly violates international law and the United Nations Charter.

The US Department of Defense on Monday awarded OpenAI a $200m contract to put generative artificial intelligence (AI) to work for the US military.

For all the talk of a nasty break-up, Canada and the United States are still very much in sync—especially when it comes to shutting the door on refugees.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has accused Beijing of deliberately creating a near-monopoly in the global supply of rare earth elements, then weaponising the world’s reliance on those chains.

Published: June 5, 2025

Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, spoke with the Premier of China, Li Qiang.

The leaders exchanged views on bilateral relations, including the importance of engagement, and agreed to regularize channels of communication between Canada and China.

‘Ready to restart’ — The PMO’s readout of the call between Mark Carney and his Chinese counterpart this week opened the door for further talks:

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says the Canadian government needs to spell out a clear strategy for repairing ties with China’s authoritarian rulers that doesn’t sacrifice Canada’s principles, including respect for human rights.

As America declines, this give Canada an opportunity to explore partnerships with other, more stable international actors, like China.

The recent ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — held against the backdrop of rising U.S. protectionism and U.S. President Donald Trump‘s second-term tariffs — was an opportunity for Southeast Asian nations to coalesce and deepen their existing trade and economic ties. 

Canada Goose built its brand on extremes. It outfits movie stars, Arctic scientists, and intrepid mountaineers in fur-trimmed, goose- and duck-down parkas that are engineered for temperatures as low as minus thirty degrees and retail for up to $2,145. The company is also careful to project a socially conscious side, raising millions for polar bear conservation and amassing the world’s largest retail collection of Inuit art, which it displays in its stores. But the brand’s defining trait is a promise: to keep its products primarily Canada made, even when Western retailers have long offshored such operations.

China has become renowned in recent years for a model of top-down, technocentric and efficient environmental policy. On the ground, however, policy making and implementation – as well as the ideas and worldviews that shape them – are constantly being negotiated, redefined and contested.

Date: July 29 – August 11, 2025
Place: The Central Branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library (735 Broughton Street, Victoria, BC V8W 3H2)
Time: 10 am – 6 pm on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 10 am – 7 pm on Tuesday and Thursday; closed on Sunday
Admission: Free
 
On August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped in the city of Hiroshima, Japan, by the United States, and, three days after, the second atomic bomb hit the city of Nagasaki on August 9. The two bombs together killed more than 210,000 civilians—women, children, seniors, Koreans, Chinese, and American prisoners of war—by the end of the year, and since then has continuously killed the survivors and their descendants through the intergenerational effects of radiation around the world. In this exhibition, the thirty posters, donated by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, tell the stories on how the atomic bombs were created, what were the effects of the bombs on the human bodies, and why we should be concerned about nuclear weapons.
 
This educational event in Victoria is part of a nationwide initiative for the 80th commemoration of Hiroshima-Nagasaki atomic bombings this summer, led by Canada’s nuclear disarmament advocate Setsuko Thurlow. Setsuko, age of 93, is a Hiroshima survivor, and the recipient of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, representing the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). The ICAN achieved the creation of the United Nations Treaty of Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in 2017, and the treaty came into effect in 2021. In 2024, Japan’s atomic bomb survivors’ association, Nihon Hidankyo, was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, on their continuous efforts for sharing their experiences with the public and creating a nuclear-free, peaceful world. Setsuko and other survivors from Nihon Hidankyo work together this summer to raise more awareness on the treaty and push back the Doomsday Clock that is ticking 89 seconds to midnight, calculated by the atomic scientists, along with the ongoing wars and armed conflicts in the world. 

Date: August 9, 2025 (Nagasaki Day)
Time: 2:30-4pm
Place: SKAM Theatre (849 Fort Street)
Admission: $5 for general admission, free for members of the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society.

Linking with the exhibition, the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society will host the film screening event on August 9: The Vow From Hiroshima (Susan Strickler, 2020, 82 minutes). This documentary film delivers an intimate portrait of Setsuko Thurlow. Setsuko was miraculously pulled out of a fiery building in the aftermath of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, but her 27 classmates were burned to death alive. The experience shaped her life forever, and she endeavored to keep a pledge she made to her friends—that no one should ever again experience the same horrible fate. The film is a timely exploration of the global danger of nuclear weapons and depicts the internal processes of Setsuko and others’ courageous activism to create the Treaty of Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 

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