Four Canadians are now dead after being executed in China for drug-related offences, announced Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.

This was a move that Joly said the Canadian government strongly condemned, explaining that Canada does not believe in using the death penalty.

"Every time that Canadians are facing the death penalty, we ask for leniency," Joly said to the media. "I got involved personally to try and prevent these executions."

The minister said that these individuals "were all facing charges linked to criminal activities, according to China, linked to drugs."

The identities of these Canadians are not being revealed, which is due to the victims' families requesting privacy, explained Joly.

However, she said that the government has been in contact with the families and is actively supporting them during this challenging time.

While Joly didn't release the identities of the executed individuals, who she said were all dual citizens, she did clarify that B.C.'s Robert Schellenberg wasn't among the dead.

"I've been asking for the clemency of Schellenberg every single time I've met with my counterpart from China and I'll continue to do so," Joly said.

Schellenberg, who was a former Abbotsford resident, was sentenced to death in 2019 for his reported role in a 2014 drug-smuggling operation in China.

Despite an attempt to appeal the decision, Schellenberg's death sentence was upheld, with no further updates being provided since 2021.