TORONTO — Debate over Canada's participation in the opening games of the Beijing Olympics continued in the House of Commons Wednesday.
Government House Leader Peter Van Loan echoed Prime Minister Stephen Harper's previous statement that Canada will not boycott the Summer Games, but avoided giving a definitive answer about boycotting the opening ceremonies.
“We have not made an announcement on that,” Mr. Van Loan said during Question Period.
Mr. Harper has said he never planned to attend the opening ceremonies, but said Tuesday that Ottawa would send a high-level delegation.
Mr. Harper also said a boycott would only punish the athletes and said boycotts are generally not effective.
“I don't anticipate any kind of a boycott of the Games themselves. … I don't see either in this country or internationally a push for that,” he told a news conference.
“I would note that even the Dalai Lama has not called for such a boycott.”
Protesters have urged a full boycott, citing China's recent violent crackdown on Tibetan protesters and its overall human-rights record.
Wednesday, it was announced that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will not attend the opening ceremony.
Mr. Brown's office said he was not boycotting the Olympics and would attend the closing ceremony.
Mr. Brown has been under intense pressure from human rights campaigners to skip the opening ceremony on Aug. 8 to protest Beijing's ongoing crackdown in Tibet.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has hinted he and the French team might boycott the opening ceremonies but that his country's athletes would still take part in competition.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she will skip the opening, and U.S. President George Bush has said he plans to attend the games but hasn't specified whether he will attend the opening ceremonies.
Many Canadian athletes who have spent a lifetime training for the Olympics are concerned about protests disrupting their plans for the event. A number have said they would compete at the Games no matter where they're held.
