Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Speaks Regarding Persecution of Falun Gong in China

On April 23, 2003 the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Bill Graham spoke at a forum hosted by the University of Alberta in Edmonton. There were more than 150 people in attendance with several news media present. The three main topics discussed during the forum concerned Canadian foreign policy: Security, Prosperity, and Values and Culture.

Regarding the topic of Values and Culture, a student brought up the question of dictatorships such as Iraq and China. The student asked if Canada was willing to sacrifice principle in exchange for economic gains when dealing with these countries. The student gave the former Iraqi regime's tactics and the Chinese regime's persecution of Falun Gong as examples. Regarding the topic of China and Falun Gong, Mr. Graham stated that he has had many discussions with Chinese officials on the issue of Falun Gong. He has told the Chinese officials that the persecution was wrong and irrational. He also mentioned a project that he started with a colleague to help some countries' governments to eliminate corruption, which has achieved some results so far. Mr. Graham further touched upon the issue of SARS, noting that China's policy of secrecy was an issue that needed to be addressed.