Senator Enverga welcomes international Court’s ruling

Senator Enverga welcomes international Court’s ruling

The Honourable Tobias C. Enverga Jr., Senator from Ontario, welcomes today’s ruling on the dispute in the West Philippine Sea by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“I am pleased with the Court’s unanimous ruling on seven of the 15 points filed by the Republic of the Philippines,” said Senator Enverga in a statement. “It is a clear statement by the international community that the People’s Republic of China’s claim does not hold up to closer scrutiny and that it is attempting to coerce the smaller nations in the region by using its military and economic might. The independent Permanent Court of Arbitration has clearly stated that China is in violation of international law, and I am concerned about China’s refusal to participate in the process and their response to blatantly ignore international law,” the Senator continued.

The Philippines initiated the arbitration on January 22, 2015, in order to establish that the Chinese historic claim or so-called ‘nine-dash line’ is inconsistent with the Convention and invalid to determine the nature of the disputed physical features in the West Philippine Sea, and that China’s actions have violated the Convention, which the Court upheld.

“I urge the Canadian government to do everything in its power to ensure that all parties comply with agreed upon international conventions and demand that the People’s Republic of China comply with its obligations under the Convention, which the country ratified in 1996. If we allow a member of the global community to ignore the rule of law, we will risk a similar situation with our own claims in the Arctic. The Trudeau government must act to ensure the rule of law for all countries,” Senator Enverga ended.