Prime Minister Jean Chretien
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A2
Dear Mr. Prime Minister:
Human rights should be one of the guiding principles in Canadian international relations. It is therefore disappointing that the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), our third-largest trading partner, continues to have a deplorable record of human rights abuse, as exhibited in its suppression of Falun Gong practitioners.
The Falun Gong movement led to the largest and most protracted public demonstrations in China since the democracy movement of 1989, In April 1999, an estimated 10,000 [...] adherents assembled in front of Zhongnanhai, the Chinese Communist Party leadership compound, and participated in a silent protest against state repression of their activities. The Chinese government responded by outlawing the movement and beginning to arrest Falun Gong protesters. It closed teaching stations and practise sites and detained and questioned over 30,000 participants, releasing most of them after them promised to quit or identified group organizers.
The PRC prosecutors have charged Falun Gong leaders with various crimes, [...]. The government has ordered Chinese lawyers not to defend Falun Gong leaders without prior approval from the Office of Legal Administration.
An estimated 150 to 450 Falun Gong group leaders and other members have been tried and sentenced to prison terms of up to 18 years [Falun Gong has no leadership, membership or hierarchy. Those arrested by the Jiang regime were all volunteers]. A further 10,000 followers have endured long periods of detention or "labour re-education." Human rights organisations claim that 400 adherents have died in custody, mostly from torture.
The PRC regularly detains individuals for exercising their rights to freedom of association, freedom of religion and freedom of expression, including the rights to impart and receive information, and other basic rights. Such violations include lengthy detention without charge or trial and depriving defendants of access to legal counsel.
In its 2002 report Amnesty International Canada reports serious human rights violations in China are on the increase. Torture and ill treatment remain widespread and appear to be increasing against certain groups. A "Strike hard" campaign against crime has led to a massive escalation in death sentences and executions.
Canada responded enthusiastically to Deng Xiaoping opening up his country economically and trying to become a member in good standing of the international community. Today our two-way trade with China totals nearly $17-billion. Since becoming Prime Minister you have visited China five times, and your cabinet ministers have visited China a combined 44 times on state business.
The Canadian International Development Agency's China program has a portfolio of 51 bilateral projects and official development assistance to China was $67 million in 2001, making Canada China's sixth largest donor country.
China is currently Canada's greatest source of immigrants, and there are now 1 million Canadians of Chinese origin. There are upward of 8,000 Chinese students per year who come to study in Canada.
One is left to conclude that we have embraced the PRC with open arms.
It appears, however, that we have had little influence on China in the area of human rights. Despite the Joint Committee on Human Rights and CIDA programming the Chinese government continues to abuse the rights of its citizens. Should we be questioning the belief that engagement, rather than isolation, will effect a sustained improvement in the human rights situation?
[...]
Human rights must be an integral part of our foreign policy and a consideration in any relationship Canada has with another country. We must promote and protect human rights. I therefore urge you to call upon the government of the PRC in the strongest terms to cease it persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
Yours Sincerely
Gurmant Grewal, M.P.
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