International Trade Minister David Emerson will become the first Canadian minister in more than a decade to visit Mongolia when he heads overseas next week. Emerson will be travelling with fellow British Columbia Conservative MP James Moore. Moore is, among other things, Parliamentary Secretary for the Pacific Gateway.
The pair will travel to China and Hong Kong in addition to Mongolia.
Emerson is one of the biggest advocates in cabinet of the ideas that you can bring about political change in China along with improved human rights when there is liberalized trade relations. This view is often at odds with some of the China ‘hawks’ in cabinet, such as Stockwell Day and Jason Kenney who think Canada ought to take a tougher attitude towards human rights abuses there.
While he’s in China, Emerson will be talking about the Olympics.