“It is, to the best of my knowledge, unprecedented for an ambassador to be publicly fired by a Prime Minister of Canada,” Prof. Burton said. “This suggests that Mr. McCallum did not appreciate the damage he has been doing to Canada’s interests by his ill-considered public statements. By them, he has affirmed for the PRC [Chinese] authorities that their arbitrary detention of Kovrig and Spavor and the threat to execute Schellenberg has been an effective form of diplomatic pressure on Canada.”
“Mr. McCallum’s lack of knowledge of China’s national language and lack of comprehension of China’s economic and political system’s incompatibility with Canadian democracy and his unwillingness to follow diplomatic protocols consistent with his role as ambassador left the Prime Minister with no choice but to demand his resignation.”
