Canadian Government and People Call For the End of the Persecution of Falun Gong before the Visit of Chinese Leader Hu Jintao

Before the arrival of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Hu Jintao to Canada, the Chinese human rights issue, especially the CCP's six-year-long persecution of Falun Gong, has again caught the attention of Canadian political circles and citizens.

On September 1st, 2005, practitioners held a large rally in front of Parliament to call on Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin to urge Hu Jintao to end the persecution of Falun Gong during his meeting with Hu. Three senior Members of Parliament, David Kilgour, Ed Broadbent, and Scott Reid, Alex Neve, Director of Amnesty International Canada, and Chairman Warran Allmand of World Federation Movement Canada attended the rally and gave speeches. As of September 1st, 2005, over 85,000 letters of appeal were collected from across Canada.

MP Scott Reid	MP Ed Broadbent

At the press conference on the same day, the three MPs and practitioners answered questions from Canadian Press, CTV and Central News Agency. Practitioners also explained the facts of the persecution to people through a signature drive and anti-torture exhibitions in front of Parliament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Immigration. In the afternoon, about 200 practitioners from eastern Canada held a march in Ottawa.

March to call for an end to the persecution

MP Urges Prime Minister Martin to Place Human Rights above Trade

MP Scott Reid said in the press conference that the systemic persecution of Falun Gong is not only documented by Falun Gong practitioners, but also by three of the world's leading human rights organisations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Rights and Democracy. The victims in the systemic persecution are not just dozens or hundreds, but number in the tens of thousands of Chinese citizens who peacefully practise Falun Gong. Prime Minister Paul Martin should not only talk about trade with Hu Jintao; he has the important responsibility to make human rights a top priority.

MP Ed Broadbent said, "The violation of the right of conscience, violation of freedom of association, violation of freedom of expression, systematic torture, the total abuse and ignoring the principle of having an independent judiciary as in a democracy particularly underlined the fact that the Chinese government has sent instructions to their own courts at one time and said it was the "political duty" of members of the judiciary in China to punish members simply for being members of Falun Gong. That in itself is a total abuse, a total mockery, of the principle of having an independent judiciary." He further said, "Prime Minister Martin should insist, certainly, that China live up to its obligations as a member of the United Nations and its Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Covenant of Political and Civil Rights."

MP David Kilgour

MP David Kilgour said, "First of all, as I said, Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance are Canadian values and the world needs more of these things obviously. But if the government of China wants to be part of the rule of law nations of the world, they must stop the persecution of Falun Gong immediately."

MP Kilgour said, "Risking trade agreements, fears of offending guilty regimes, and a preference for non-committal policies of conceptive engagement cannot hinder our efforts to ensure that everyone is accorded the individual and independent human rights."

Director of Amnesty International Canada: Brutal Repression of Falun Gong Practitioners in China is a Human Rights Catastrophe

Director Alex Neve of Amnesty International Canada

Director Alex Neve of Amnesty International Canada said, "There's no question that the ongoing brutal repression of Falun Gong practitioners in China is a human rights catastrophe by any measure. And it is unacceptable that it has been allowed to continue and deepen over the past many years. Canada needs to redouble its efforts to press for an end to the human rights violations against Falun Gong practitioners in China."

MP Scott Reid proposed the motion in the House of Commons in 2002 to rescue Falun Gong practitioners who were persecuted in China and had family links to Canada. He said in his speech that he hoped Prime Minister Martin will speak out to Hu Jintao to release the18 Falun Gong practitioners with links and family ties to Canada who are suffering in China.

He also put forward the issue of stopping the CCP's hate propaganda and harassment, intimidation and surveillance of practitioners in Canada.

During recent the days, MPs who have written to Prime Minister Martin asking him to call for the end of the persecution of Falun Gong include Scott Reid, Libby Davies, Rob Anders, Peter Julian, Bill Siksay, Pierre Poilievre, Tony Martin, and Alexa McDonough. Peter R Coffin, a pastor in Ottawa also wrote to the Prime Minister to urge him to help end the persecution.