This week after former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould testified before a Commons committee, opposition politicians questioned whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had sufficient respect for the rule of law.

And south of the border, U.S. president Donald Trump came under criticism over whether he respected the rule of law after he suggested that a Huawei executive's legal case could become a bargaining chip in trade negotiations with China.

But today, Canada's justice department insisted that indeed, Canada is governed by the rule of law—and that it had issued an "Authority to Proceed" with the extradition case against Meng Wanzhou. 

The Huawei chief financial officer was arrested at Vancouver International Airport in early December while on her way to Mexico.

The U.S. is seeking Meng's extradition to face charges of bank and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud in connection with a company that was allegedly violating a U.S. embargo against Iran.

"Extradition in Canada is guided by the Extradition Act, international treaties and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which enshrines constitutional principles of fairness and due process," the justice department said in a statement.

Meng is scheduled to appear in B.C. Supreme Court on Wednesday (March 6).

She has been released on bail and is living in a home she owns in Dunbar.

Prior to the justice department's announcement, China's foreign ministry spokesperson, Lu Kang, was asked about Wilson-Raybould's testimony before the justice committee about SNC-Lavalin—and whether Canada had acted in an inconsistent way.

"I really like your question, yet I think you may need to ask the Canadian government," Lu replied. "In fact this case you mentioned has drawn much attention in Canada.

"We also noted that some media and people in various sectors in Canada have raised very similar questions," he continued. "I believe fair-minded people can tell right from wrong. In fact, it is not only the Chinese and Canadian people—but also people all around the world—that are very interested to see what the Canadian government is going to say about this."