Trudeau announces diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics - CBC News

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced today that Canada will launch a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.

No federal government officials will attend the games.

Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill, Trudeau said the government is "extremely concerned" by the "repeated human rights violations carried out by the Chinese government." He said Canada will show its displeasure with the communist regime by withholding the delegates that normally would attend high-profile events like the opening and closing ceremonies.

Asked if he was anticipating any blowback from Beijing for snubbing China as it prepares to host the world, Trudeau said "this should not come as a surprise" to the regime.

WATCH: Trudeau announces diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympic Games.

In the motion, MPs also called on the federal government to use its influence to pressure the International Olympic Committee to move the games out of China "if the Chinese government continues this genocide.".

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole said Wednesday his party's push to relocate the games got "no traction with Mr.

While he said he's horrified by reports of violence in Xinjiang, O'Toole said a full boycott would be unfair to Canada's Olympic and Paralympic athletes who have trained so hard for the world's premier sporting event.

WATCH: Conservative leader calls on prime minister to boycott Beijing Olympics.

In a media statement, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) said it "understands and respects" the government's decision and applauds the effort to "draw an important distinction between the participation of athletes and the participation of government officials.".

Citing that 1980 move, the COC said "history has shown that athlete boycotts only hurt athletes without creating meaningful change." The COC said the games will "create an important platform to draw attention" to ongoing issues in China.

"Clearly it is important for us to send a strong signal to China because we're extremely concerned about allegations about the Uyghurs," Joly said.

Conservative MP Michael Chong, the party's foreign affairs critic, said Trudeau's China policy has been characterized by "incoherence and contradiction." He said China's abuses demand a stronger response and a diplomatic boycott doesn't go far enough.