Canada: Prime Minister Raises Falun Gong Issue with Hu; Leader of the Official Opposition Supports Practitioners

On September 9th, 2005, Canada Prime Minster Martin raised the issue of Falun Gong during his meeting with Hu Jintao. On the evening of September 8th, Stephen Harper, leader of the Official Opposition, shook hands and talked with practitioners appealing in front of the Governor General's Office. He encouraged the practitioners to "Keep up all the good work."

Practitioners appealing in front of Parliament	Appealing in front of Parliament
Appealing in front of Canadian Museum of Civilisation	Appealing in front of the hotel Hu stayed in

Canadian government and the public pay attention to Falun Gong during Hu Jintao's visit

On the morning of September 9th, during the joint press conference of the two leaders, Prime Minster Martin said he had a thorough discussion with Hu on human rights and governance of a country and raised the Falun Gong issue. He believed that better governance of a country needs better understanding of human rights.

At 6 p.m. on September 8th, Stephen Harper, leader of the Official Opposition, stopped at the practitioners' appeal site on his way to attend dinner in the Governor General's Office. He shook hands with each practitioner on site and said "Keep up all the good work."

On the morning of September 9th, Roger Clavet, the critic of Asia-Pacific of Bloc Québécois and Member of Parliament (MP), showed up at practitioners' appeal site in front of Parliament and had a group photo with practitioners. He said that he would meet Hu Jintao in a while and would raise the issue of Falun Gong. MP David Kilgour went to Parliament to support the practitioners.

Hu Jintao evades the issue of the persecution of Falun Gong, but Canadian media focuses on it

During the press conference on September 9th, the first question that reporters asked was China's human rights issue including the persecution of Falun Gong. Hu Jintao replied to other questions but did not address the issue of the persecution of Falun Gong.

The editorial of Ottawa Citizen on September 9th stated that Prime Minister "should speak about the ongoing persecution of the practitioners of Falun Gong."

The editorial stated that "Human rights, not trade and investment, should dominate the agenda when Prime Minister Paul Martin meets Chinese President Hu Jintao today."

The editorial stated that Canadian's attitude towards China's human rights "isn't hard enough or sharp enough to make an impact on the Chinese regime. Mr. Hu's visit gives Mr. Martin an opportunity to speak loudly, firmly and publicly about specific violations."

The editorial stated that the Prime Minister "should speak about China's embrace of 21st-century forms of restriction on freedom of speech, including the monitoring of online dissidents and journalists and the creation of selective Internet search software that serves as anti-democracy censorship."

The editorial stated that the Prime Minister "should, instead, see this visit as a chance to put human rights front and centre. Canada's trade relationship with China should not stop Mr. Martin from frank and public criticism of the Chinese regime."

In addition, Globe and Mail, 24 Hours Vancouver, Vancouver Sun, and CTV also focused on China's human rights issues including the persecution of Falun Gong in covering Hu Jintao's visit of Canada.