WATCH: Trudeau’s Health Minister refuses to criticize China-owned long-term care homes in Canada

In 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was warned of his approval of the sale of retirement buildings owned by the Chinese government—some of which have been put under health authority management for resident mistreatment.

Rather than say anything potentially negative about the possible dangers of having Chinese-owned nursing homes on Canadian soil, Hajdu instead opts for a more general, all-encompassing approach, noting that all nursing homes needed to be checked on.

The moment came when Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo MP Cathy McLeod pressed Hajdu on the sale of 22 senior facilities which are owned by the Chinese government.

To the question, Hajdu said that she "shared the concern" for long-term care homes "across the country."

McLeod highlighted that prior to the pandemic, four of the Chinese government-owned facilities had failed to meet Canadian standards and were put under health authority management, with cases including residents not being bathed for more than five weeks, residents left in bed without food or care, and understaffed homes.

Again, Hajdu opted to criticize all long term care homes, refusing to address the matters brought up by McLeod.

"I know that in this particular province, in British Columbia, that the province has been working diligently to ensure strong protections are in place for seniors," said Hajdu. "All provinces agree we have to have a stronger network and safety for all seniors as we go forward.

Hajdu's previous defence of China

On April 3, the bureau chief at the China Daily, a Chinese Communist Party outlet, called Health Minister Patty Hajdu a "role model" after she quickly dismissed reports of possible inaccurate coronavirus information from the authoritarian regime.

China Daily's Chen Welhua called Hajdu's response a "disappointment to those paparazzi journalists and fearmongers," in a reply to True North's Andrew Lawton.