Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole called on the federal government to “finally stand up to China” after Beijing announced Thursday it was banning the BBC World News from airing in China. “Today, Communist China banned BBC World News. This comes as no surprise when we saw a record 17 foreign journalists expelled from China early last year,” said O’Toole in a statement. “Clearly, the suppression of the press continues to grow.” “This comes at a time when Canada depends on reporting for updates on illegally-detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, China’s crackdown on the 300,000 Canadians in Hong Kong, and the genocide of Uyghurs,” he added. Beijing recently criticized the BBC for their reports on the COVID-19 situation in China and on allegations of forced labor and sexual abuse in the Xinjiang region, home to the Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethic groups. Then on Thursday, China’s broadcasting regulator, the National …