Politics, they say, makes strange bedfellows. And for the mayor of Toronto and the Premier of Ontario, it doesn't get much stranger than this. Both leaders chose a time of high controversy to meet with representatives of China on Monday.
David Miller was in Beijing. Dalton McGuinty was here at home. But both men faced loud protests over the decision to proceed with the confabs, as the world watches the China-Tibet situation carefully.
A crowd shouting "shame on Chinese!" and "The world is watching!" stood outside The Westin Harbour Castle hotel, as McGuinty went inside for a private meeting with a Chinese delegation. Security guards kept pro-Tibetan protestors out - along with the prying eyes of the media.
Halfway around the world, Miller couldn't hear the chants, but was busy opening a new trade office and discussing economic ties with the rapidly developing economic force.
The timing of both events wasn't lost on protestors. "Leaders all around the world are basically taking a stand right now and calling on the Chinese government to stop their crackdowns. But for some reason our provincial leaders are lagging. They're doing the complete opposite," condemns Tserming Lama of
Students for a Free Tibet. "They're strengthening ties when they should be pressuring for human rights."
But that would hurt Ontario's flagging economy. The province sells millions of dollars worth of industrial products to the eastern nation and consumers here buy billions of dollars worth of products in return, including computers, televisions and furniture.
Critics accuse the Liberals of meeting in secret avoid embarrassment. "If you now admit that human rights is important, tell us why was the meeting where you say you raised human rights held in secret?" demanded NDP leader Howard Hampton in the Legislature. "Why were the journalists and photographers ordered out?"
McGuinty deflected the offence with some defence of his own. "By virtue of having this meeting ... I came much closer than any members of the opposition have to ... raising those concerns directly with that representative."
And this is just the opening salvo in pro-Tibet demonstrations that will further focus debate on China as the Olympics get closer. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has already confirmed he won't be at the opening ceremonies in August, but insists it was a decision made long before the protests began and has nothing to do with the current situation.