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Saudi teen Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun who was granted asylum in Canada after fleeing from her allegedly abusive family pledged on Tuesday to fight for the freedom of other less fortunate women in a public statement to media in Toronto.

“Today and for years to come I will work in support of freedom for women around the world, the same freedom I experienced on the first day I arrived in Canada,” said the 18-year-old whose widely publicised battle to escape her family garnered international attention.

Speaking in Arabic at a press conference at a Toronto immigrant and refugee settlement agency, al-Qunun, who now prefers to use Mohammed as her last name after her family disowned her, thanked Canada, Thailand and the UN refugee agency and thousands of well-wishers around the world.

(click to listen to Rahaf Mohammed's full statement read in English by Saba Abbas from COSTI Immigrant Services)

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A lucky break

“I’m one of the lucky ones,” Mohammed said. “I know that there are unlucky women who disappeared after trying to escape or who could not do anything to change their reality.”

Saudi teenager Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, centre, stands with Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland, right, and Saba Abbas from COSTI Immigrant Services, as she arrives at Toronto Pearson International Airport, on Saturday, January 12, 2019. (Chris Young/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Mohammed won global attention last week when she fled her family while visiting Kuwait and flew to Bangkok, Thailand. She barricaded herself in an airport hotel room and launched a Twitter campaign outlining allegations of abuse against her relatives -- accusations her family members have denied.

She landed in Toronto after the Canadian government said it had agreed to resettle her at the request of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. She was personally greeted by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, who appeared with her arm around the teen.

Granting Saudi teen asylum fits Canadian policy

“As you know, in Saudi Arabia this is the case for all Saudi women except for those who are fortunate enough to have understanding parents,” Mohammed said.

Saudi women can’t be independent and they need the approval of their male guardians for everything, Mohammed said.

Any woman who thinks of escaping or escapes would be at risk of persecution, she added.

“I want to be independent, [I want to] travel, make my own decisions on education, career or who and when I should marry,” Mohammed said. “I had no say in any of this. Today, I can proudly say that I’m capable of making all of those decisions.”

A plea for privacy

Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed makes her way through a crowd of media after giving a public statement at the COSTI Corvetti Education Centre in Toronto, Tuesday, January 15, 2019. (Tijana Martin/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Mohammed said she is very grateful for all the offers of support for housing and friendship.

“Thank you to everyone for reaching out and making me feel welcome in my new home,” Mohammed said.

But she also asked the public and the media to respect her privacy as she settles into her new life.

“I would like to start living a normal private life just like any other young woman living in Canada,” Mohammed said. “This starts with me getting help in my settlement process and of course learning English.”

Round-the-clock security

Mario Calla, executive director at COSTI Immigrant Services in Toronto, which has taken charge of Mohammed’s case and organized the press conference, said they will help the young woman to find housing and sign up for English language classes.

Mohammed has reported receiving several death threats on social m...

Millions of cubic metres of chemical laden brine produced daily by thousands of desalination plants worldwide threaten marine environments and ecosystems, according to a new UN study conducted in Canada.

Globally desalination plants discharge about 142 million litres of hypersaline brine every day, producing in one year enough of the sludgy by-product of our thirst for fresh water to cover the entire state of Florida under one foot (30.5cm) of brine, says Prof Manzoor Qadir the Canadian-based Institute for Water, Environment and Health, part of UN University system.

And the problem is expected to grow as the number of desalination plants around the world increases, Qadir, the principal author of the study, said in an interview with Radio Canada International.

“We know there will be more and more desalination plants, those will be emerging because of the increasing levels of water scarcity in different parts of the world,” Qadir said.

(click to listen to the full interview with Prof Manzoor Qadir)

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Brine water flows into the Mediterranean Sea after passing through a desalination plant in the coastal city of Hadera May 16, 2010. (Nir Elias/REUTERS)

The study, which was conducted in conjunction with Wageningen University in the The Netherlands and the Gwangju Institute of Science and technology in South Korea, found that nearly 55 per cent of global brine is produced in four countries.

Saudi Arabia accounts for 22 per cent, United Arab Emirates 20.2 per cent, Kuwait for 6.6 per cent and Qatar for 5.8 per cent.

The brine greatly increases the salinity of seawater in the areas where it’s discharged, polluting oceans with toxic chemicals used in the desalination process, Qadir said.

It also depletes oxygen levels in receiving waters, the study showed.

However, the study also shows that this brine could be used to create environmentally friendly and sustainable economic opportunities to farm salt-tolerant fish species, to generate electricity, and by mining it for salts and minerals, including magnesium, gypsum, sodium chloride, calcium, potassium, chlorine, bromine and lithium.

“For example, studies have shown that the fish yield by using that brine is further increased rather than being negatively affected,”Qadir said. “But these are the studies, which have been done on a pilot scale, the key issue would be if we translate those studies on a larger scale.”

Canadian diplomats in China visited for the second time on Thursday one of their former colleagues detained by Chinese security services following the arrest in Canada of a top Chinese telecom executive last month, Ottawa announced.

"Today, Canadian consular officials in China visited with Michael Kovrig," said Global Affairs Canada spokesperson Guillaume Bérubé in a statement.

Canadian consular officials continue to provide consular services to him and his family, and will continue to seek further access to Kovrig, he said.

No further information can be disclosed due to Canada's privacy laws, Bérubé added.

Kovrig, who took a leave of absence from Global Affairs Canada to work as the North East Asia analyst for the non-governmental think tank International Crisis Group, and Michael Spavor, a China-based Canadian entrepreneur, were detained separately by Chinese authorities on Dec. 10.

Payback for Huawei executive's arrest

Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, right, is escorted by a member of her private security detail while arriving at a parole office, in Vancouver, on December 12. (Darryl Dyck/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Their arrest came days after Canadian officials arrested Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of telecom giant Huawei, at the request of U.S. authorities.

Meng, who is also the daughter of company founder Ren Zhengfei, could face extradition to the United States over allegations she was involved in violating sanctions on Iran.

She was released on bail by a Canadian court to await the results of extradition hearings. U.S. authorities have until Jan. 30 to file a formal extradition request, said Canadian justice officials.

Meng's next court appearance is February 6.

Chinese officials said Kovrig and Spavor are being investigated for "endangering national security."

"The Canadian government remains deeply concerned by the arbitrary detention by Chinese authorities of these two Canadians since last month and continues to call for their immediate release," Bérubé said.

The news of the second consular visit with Kovrig came two days after Chinese authorities granted Canadian diplomats a similar visit with Spavor.

“Canadian consular officials continue to provide consular services to Michael Spavor and his family and will continue to seek further access to Mr. Spavor,” Bérubé said.

A welcome sign

Chinese officials say Canadians Michael Kovrig, right, and Michael Spavor were arrested for undermining Chinese 'national security,' while Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested 'illegally' in Canada upon U.S. request (Associated Press/ International Crisis Group/Canadian Press)

Guy Saint-Jacques, Canada's former ambassador in China and Kovrig’s former boss, said the fact that Canadian officials were allowed to see both detained Canadians within three weeks from their first consular visit was a good sign that showed that Ottawa’s approach of mobilizing allies to put pressure on Beijing was working.

Canada has received support from governments including Australia, the European Union, France, Germany, Britain and the United States, and, most recently, the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia in its diplomatic row with Beijing.

"As far as I know, this is the first time where we see such a show of support by Western countries," Saint-Jacques said. "I think it’s the right strategy because it brings more international attention to the case of Mr Kovrig and Spavor, and also, hopefully, it will help to reduce the temptation on the part of China to detain other people."

(click to listen to the full interview with Guy Saint-Jacques)

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'Western egotism and white supremacy'

The federal government has adopted tough new regulations for the use of drones in Canadian airspace, banning drone flights near airports and emergency scenes, as well as operating them while drunk or high on drugs.

The new regulations, which come into effect as of June 1, will also require drone operators to register their drones and pass an online test to receive certification to continue operating them, said Transport Minister Marc Garneau as he unveiled the new rules in Montreal Wednesday.

These new changes apply to drones that weigh between 250 grams and 25 kilograms and are operated within the pilot’s line of sight, regardless of whether the drones are being used for work, research or for fun, Garneau said.

“The government is resolved to improve the security of aviation and of the public,” Garneau told reporters in Montreal. “At the same time we are also resolved to encourage and support the possibilities of innovation and economic growth that drones represent.”

Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau announces new rules to fly a drone in Canada during a news conference in Montreal on Wednesday, January 9, 2019. (Paul Chiasson/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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The new rules require drone operators to:

register and mark the drone with its registration number

pass an online exam and get a pilot certificate for basic or advanced operations

be a minimum age of 14 for basic and 16 for advanced operations, unless supervised by a person having proper certificates

fly their drones no higher than 122 metres (400 feet) in the air

stay away from bystanders, at a minimum distance of 30 metres for basic operations

keep away from emergency operations and advertised events

avoid forest fires, outdoor concerts and parades

drones are prohibited within 5.6 kilometres (3 nautical miles) from airports and 1.9 kilometres (1 nautical mile) from heliports

they must keep far away from other aircraft

drone operators are expected to always respect the privacy of others while flying

“This is very serious,” Garneau said. “If you put an object in the air, in the airspace of this country, you are in fact piloting it and if you cause an accident that can have enormous repercussions.”

The new regulations come with steep fines of up $25,000 or even criminal prosecution for certain infractions that endanger safety of other people or aircraft.

It will cost $5 to register a drone, and the pilot exam for basic operations costs $10, while the test for advanced drone operations is $25.

Dozens of drumming and chanting protesters delayed on Tuesday a speech by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a forum dedicated to relations between Canada’s Indigenous communities and the federal government.

Trudeau finally spoke at the Modern Treaty and Self-Governing First Nations Forum in Ottawa almost two hours late after hundreds of Indigenous protesters marched from Parliament Hill to the forum's venue at Ottawa's old City Hall and entered the building.

The protesters were angry about the intervention by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in a blockade in northern British Columbia to enforce a court injunction ordering the removal of people interfering with a natural gas pipeline project in and around the Morice River Bridge.

Pipeline protests continue: Gas pipeline in northern British Columbia

Members of the Gidimt'en clan of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation have set up a camp and a checkpoint southwest of Houston, B.C., on a forest-service road that leads to the Coastal GasLink construction site.

The company says it has signed agreements with all First Nations along the pipeline route, including the elected chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, but the agreement is opposed by the hereditary chiefs of Wet’suwet’en.

The RCMP intervention resulted in 14 arrests, sparking protests in several Canadian cities in support of Wet’suwet’en protesters.

Protesters make their way through hallways after entering a building where the Prime Minister was scheduled to speak in Ottawa, Tuesday January 8, 2019. (Adrian Wyld/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Trudeau eventually addressed the convention after the event was moved to another location.

But he did not mention the protests in his seven-minute speech.

Trudeau reiterated that Ottawa’s relationship with Indigenous communities remains the most important relationship for his Liberal government.

But he acknowledged that a great deal of work remains to be done to fix it.

"I don't want to dwell on the past, but you know, and I know, that previous governments and institutions spent years ignoring your communities and your concerns," Trudeau said.

(listen to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's full speech)

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part the Canada - Modern Treaty and Self-Governing First Nations Forum as he sits beside Legislative Chief Peter Hanson, left, and Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Carolyn Bennett in Ottawa on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The Liberal government has finally moved the dial on that crucial relationship since coming to power in 2015, he said.

“Take for example the new legislation that we will introduce this year to protect and preserve Indigenous languages or our work with you to reform the child welfare system so the kids stay with their parents and with their communities,” Trudeau said.

Ottawa and self-governing First Nations have also made progress on a new fiscal policy, he said.

“This is just one example of our promise to do things differently and redefine our relationship , working nation-to-nation and upholding  our commitments under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” Trudeau said.

The Liberal government has also pledged to change the way modern treaties with First Nations are negotiated, Trudeau said.

The government has eliminated loans as a way of funding Indigenous participation in the treaty negotiation process and is working on a way to deal with existing loans that have left many First Nations in debt, he said.

With files from CBC News and The Canadian Press

A pair of Canadian CF-18 Hornets had a close but polite encounter in October with a Russian Su-27 Flanker fighter jet in the international airspace off Romania’s Black Sea coast, according to the Canadian military.

Canada has dispatched five CF-18 Hornets and about 135 personnel mainly from 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron based in Bagotville, Quebec, to Constanta, Romania, to take part in NATO Enhanced Air Policing, a peacetime collective defence mission to safeguard NATO airspace.

Speaking to Radio Canada International from Constanta, Lt.-Col. Tim Woods, commander of the Canadian Air Task Force – Romania, said he happened to be on duty on Oct. 18, when Canadian Hornets were scrambled to intercept an aircraft that was fast approaching the Romanian air defence identification zone.

“Initially we didn’t know what it was,” Woods said. “We intercepted and identified it as a Flanker and proceeded to fly alongside it.”

The interaction with the Russian pilot was very professional, Woods said.

“I waved, he waved, he gave me a thumbs up, I gave him a thumbs up,” Woods said. “He took a picture of the CF-18 with a handheld camera and then and went on his way back to Crimea and we returned to Romania.”

(listen to the full interview with Lt.-Col. Tim Woods)

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Protecting NATO's southern flank

An infrared image from a camera mounted on a Canadian CF-18 Hornet shows a Russian Su-27 Flanker fighter flanked by the smaller CF-18 on Oct. 18, 2018. (DND)

This was the only full intercept of a Russian aircraft since the Canadian task force from Bagotville deployed in Romania in September, Woods said. And no Canadian aircraft have been intercepted by Russian fighters close to Crimea, he added.

The Canadian task force keeps a close watch on tensions between Russia and Ukraine around Crimea and in the Azov Sea, Woods said.

“One of the reasons that we are here in this area of the Black Sea is because of its proximity to Crimea,” Woods said.

“But our area of responsibility tends to be more on the west side of the Black Sea, so the interactions that are happening in the Sea of Azov, we haven’t been directly patrolling in that area, we’re more focused on activity near the Romanian airspace.”

Training with NATO allies

A Canadian CF-18 Hornet takes off from Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in Romania during Operation REASSURANCE on Sept. 7, 2018. (Cpl. Dominic Duchesne-Beaulieu/CAF)

The work that Canadian air crews are  doing in the skies over Romania and the Black Sea is very similar to what they do day in and day out as part of NORAD in Canada, Woods said.

“It’s a very similar role, in fact it’s a little more straightforward for us here because the area of responsibility is smaller but the amount of time that we have to get airborne is a little quicker with some of the tracks that pop up,” he said.

Aside from doing the air policing role, the other task that Canadian air crews are performing is integrating with other NATO countries and training together.

Canadians have been involved in helping the Romanian Air Force to transition from their old Soviet-built MiG-21 fighters to more modern U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets purchased from Portugal, Woods said.

But the Canadians are also learning from their Romanian counterparts, he said.

“Absolutely! They have a streamlined way of doing things sometimes, which I always appreciate,” Woods said. “Also, their controllers are very good at directing intercepts, that’s one of the pieces we really enjoyed working with them. They’re very precise and they have a very good procedural way of doing them, so we’re going to bring some of that back home.”

'Bravo Canada'

Ottawa would be hard-pressed to step in and help fill part of a funding shortage that has forced the United Nations to scale back its support programs to vulnerable families in Palestine, says Canada’s international development minister.

The World Food Programme (WFP) says it is facing a severe funding shortfall in Palestine that will affect some 193,000 of the poorest people in Gaza and the West Bank as of January 2019.

Faced with the funding shortfall, WFP is set to cut aid to 27,000 people in the West Bank while it reduces by 20 per cent monthly assistance to families in the most dire need, the agency said.

WFP says it needs $57 million US to maintain the current level of support to 360,000 people in 2019.

“WFP’s assistance has been a lifeline to tens of thousands of people who have exhausted all their meagre resources while trying to cope with unabated and mounting hardships,” WFP Representative and Country Director in Palestine Stephen Kearney said in a statement. “As the gap between rising food needs and available resources continues to widen, WFP has no alternative but to take these difficult decisions.”

Having visited the Palestinian territories last summer, Canada’s International Development Minister Marie Claude Bibeau said she is saddened to hear the news but noted there is little Canada can do to help.

“Learning that one of our main partners, WFP, will have to cut some basic services for this population is really heart-breaking,” Bibeau said in a year-end telephone interview from her home riding of Sherbrooke, Quebec. “We, obviously, will follow this situation, but Canada cannot always compensate with all these cuts, especially for this region.”

The UN food agency is already the number one recipient of Canada’s international assistance funds, Bibeau said.

(listen to the full interview with Marie-Claude Bibeau as she discusses her government's record in 2018 and plans for 2019 in the field of international development)

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Hope for peace in Yemen

Armed Yemeni men hold their weapons as they gather in the capital Sanaa to show their support to the Shiite Huthi movement against the Saudi-led intervention, on December 19, 2018. - A hard-won truce in the battleground Yemeni city of Hodeida will collapse if rebel violations persist and the United Nations does not intervene, the Saudi-led coalition said on December 19. (Mohammed Huwais/AFP/Getty Images)

On the situation in Yemen, where warring parties have agreed to a ceasefire around the strategically important Red Sea port of Hodeida, Bibeau said Canada is hoping for a peaceful solution to the four-year-old conflict that has brought the country to the brink of a catastrophic famine.

“We have millions of people starving because of a human decision,”Bibeau said. “They’re not starving because of a natural disaster, they’re starving because of the conflict.”

Canada will continue supporting its humanitarian partners in the field in Yemen in the new year, Bibeau said.

“This is one of the most terrible conflicts and humanitarian crises in the world right now,” Bibeau said.

Looking back at 2018

British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, France's President Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wait for U.S. President Donald Trump to join them for a family photo at the G7 Summit in Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada, June 8, 2018. (Leah Millis/REUTERS)

Looking back at 2018, Bibeau singled out the $3.8 billion funding pledges for girls’ education made at the G7 Summit in Charlevoix, Quebec, as the single most important achievement of the Liberal government in terms of international development, especially in light of its feminist foreign an...

As the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) turns 61, it is preparing to confront new threats that include a new generation of long-range and more accurate Russian cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons, as well as drones, says NORAD deputy commander Lt.-Gen. Christopher Coates.

Over the last sixty years NORAD has undergone a few transformations and is on the cusp on another major remake, Coates said in a phone interview from the Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, CO.

“There is this notion that North America is susceptible to threats in new ways that it hasn’t been before,” said Coates who began his military career as a helicopter pilot in the Canadian Forces.

“That’s the big change in NORAD right now as we adjust to new threats to ensure that our homeland is well-protected into the future.”

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A new threat environment

Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian General Staff attends a briefing in the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017, backdropped by a screen showing a Russian navy's Admiral Essen frigate launching a cruise missile at the Islamic state in Syria. (Pavel Golovkin/AP Photo)

According to Canadian defence experts Andrea Charron and James Fergusson, NORAD is facing a new threat environment shaped by Russian behaviour in Crimea, Ukraine and Syria, a new Russian strategic doctrine, and a new generation of advanced Russian long-range cruise missiles.

“There is a new generation of cruise missiles being developed and fielded and used by Russia,” Coates said. “We’ve seen them used in Syria off of their aircraft and off maritime ship and submarine platforms as well.”

These cruise missiles have much longer range – thousands of kilometres versus hundreds of kilometres in the previous generation – and they are much more stealthy and precise, Coates said.

This combination of long range, stealth and precision presents a new threat to the North American continental defence, he added.

Canada and the United States are examining current and future technologies that might provide them with capabilities to address that threat, Coates said.

360 degrees defence

However, Russia’s deployment of two Tu-160 supersonic strategic bombers on a friendly visit to Venezuela last week also shows that Russia is signalling to the U.S. that it is capable of deploying some of its cruise missile carrying bombers much closer to southern underbelly of the North American continent.

“I can assure you NORAD was very aware of what Russia did with those bombers last week,” Coates said. “NORAD looks 360 degrees. We have had focus from the beginning on the North but that hasn’t stopped us in looking in all directions.”

Two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers, an An-124 heavy-lift military transport aircraft and an IL-62 plane have carried out a flight from Russia to Venezuela🇻🇪. The flight was carried out in strict accordance with the international regulations on the use of airspace. @MoD_Russia🇷🇺 pic.twitter.com/A9McYRDmvP

— Russia in USA 🇷🇺 (@RusEmbUSA) December 10, 2018

In its 2017 Strong, Secure, Engaged defence policy white paper the Liberal government undertook to work closely with the U.S. to modernize NORAD, Coates said.

Majority of Canadian experts want Ottawa to join U.S. ballistic missile defence system

In the coming year, NORAD commanders in partnership with the U.S. Northern Command and the Canadian Joint Operations Command will continue their discussions on what the future of the defence of North America looks like and what will be NORAD’s role in it, he said.

“It’s an opportunity for us to refresh our understanding how we can best contribute to the defence of Canada and the United States,” Coates said.

Canadian passengers who face flight delays or are bumped from their seat due to overbooking will be eligible for compensation under the federal government’s new proposed regulations for air travel.

Transport Minister Marc Garneau unveiled the first draft of the proposed passenger bill of rights at an event at the Ottawa International Airport on Monday.

Under the proposed regulations, which will apply to all airlines operating in Canada, flying in and out of the country, airlines will be forced to pay up to $1,000 for flight delays and cancellations within their control that are not safety-related.

Airlines will have to book a passenger on a competitor’s flight if the delay exceeds nine hours.

Passengers bumped from flights due to overbooking or scheduled aircraft maintenance can apply for compensation of up to $2,400.

The new regulations also require that passengers be allowed to leave the airplane if a tarmac delay lasts for over three hours and there's no prospect of an imminent take-off.

“Our government’s goal is simple,” Garneau said. “It is to provide air travelers with fair and balanced passenger rights, the ones that they deserve.”

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Best in the world

These new draft regulations, fall under Transportation Modernization Act, which became law in May of 2018.

Garneau said Canadian officials studied regulations passed by the European Union and the United States to clarify airline passenger rights.

“We reviewed their regulations and we also undertook our own consultations, right here in Canada in order to act in the best possible interest of Canadians,” Garneau said.

“Canada’s approach when it comes to travelers’ rights is among the most ambitious and the best in the world.”

Once the draft regulations are officially published on Saturday, Canadians will have 60 days to comment and propose changes, Garneau said.

“We want to get this right, this is the last opportunity for people to make comments on it and we think this is the right thing to do to make sure that we get the best passenger rights that are possible for Canadians,” Garneau said.

Treating passengers with respect

Passengers wait in a lineup due to a problem with the baggage system in U.S. departures at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., on Saturday April 1, 2017. Under the propose air passenger bill of rights, airlines will have to compensate their passengers for delays, overbooking and lost luggage. (Darryl Dyck/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

An airline ticket is a contract for service, which imposes obligations both on the airline and the traveler, he said.

“Except in circumstances which are beyond their control we are going to make sure that airlines treat their passengers with the respect they deserve and live up to their commitments,” Garneau said. “These regulations establish clear and consistent standards of treatment.”

The final consultation period ends on Feb. 20. After that the officials will look at the comments they have received and will craft the final regulations, which will then have to be approved by cabinet, Garneau said.

Once these regulations are officially published by the government, the airlines will have a few months to prepare to implement these regulations, he said.

Garneau said the government hopes to have the regulations ready by the summer of 2019.

"With the draft regulations announced today, Canadian air passengers are finally close to having the same kind of rights that U.S. and European travellers have had for many years," said Jeff Walker, CAA chief strategy officer. "Gone will be the days when passengers stood at a counter, faced with bad news, and had no idea what their rights were or what they cou...

Canadian officials confirmed Friday that they were granted consular access to former Canadian diplomat detained in China on Monday on suspicion of "endangering national security."

"Today, Canada was granted consular access to Michael Kovrig," a statement by Global Affairs Canada said.

Canada's ambassador to China, John McCallum, met the former Canadian diplomat in Beijing, the statement said.

Kovrig, who was on an unpaid leave of absence from Global Affairs Canada to work as an expert on North-East Asia for the International Crisis Group, was arrested by the Beijing Bureau of Chinese State Security on Monday. He is being investigated for "endangering national security," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Thursday.

"Canadian consular officials continue to provide consular services to him and his family and will continue to seek further access to Mr Kovrig," the statement said. "Due to the provisions of the Privacy Act, no further information can be disclosed"

Canada continues to press for consular access to Michael Spavor, the second Canadian arrested on Monday, the statement added.

Spavor, who ran a non-profit organization that organized cultural and sports exchanges with Pyongyang, was arrested by the State Security Bureau of Dandong City, Liaoning Province, near the border with North Korea, Lu said.

'They ought to be returned'

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, second from left, and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis right, and their Canadian counterparts Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland, second from right, and Canadian Minister of Defense Harjit Sajjan, left, leave the Benjamin Franklin Room as they conclude their news conference following a U.S.-Canada 2+2 Ministerial at the State Department in Washington, Friday, Dec. 14, 2018. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday that the two Canadians are being unlawfully detained and should be returned to Canada.

Pompeo made the comments in Washington D.C. during a joint press conference with Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, U.S. Secretary of Defence James Mattis and Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjin.

"The unlawful detention of two Canadian citizens is unacceptable. They ought to be returned," Pompeo said.

"The United States has stood for that whether they are our citizens, or citizens of other countries. We ask all nations of the world to treat other citizens properly and the detention of these two Canadian citizens in China ought to end."

(listen to some of comments by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo)

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'Welcome gesture'

Guy Saint-Jacques, Canada’s ambassador in China from 2012 and 2016 and Kovrig’s former boss, said the granting of consular access to Kovrig was a “welcome gesture” on the part of Chinese authorities. What remains to be seen is how often Canadian officials will be allowed to see Kovrig in the future.

Saint-Jacques said in the case of Kevin and Julia Garratt, Canadian missionaries detained in similar circumstances in 2014 and accused of espionage, Canadian officials were allowed to visit them once a month.

Given Kovrig’s status as an ex-diplomat, Canadian officials might be able to negotiate more frequent visits, perhaps, as often as once every three weeks, Saint-Jacques said.

“I think because of the nature of the case we will want to have regular access to Michael and check on his health, on his situation and I expect the government to continue to press to have this kind of regular access,” Saint-Jacques said.

Chinese delays in granting consular access to Spavor are probably related to the fact that in their eyes Kovrig is considered a much more ...