A Speech Given by a Member of Parliament of Canada  (07/20/00)

[Colleen Beaumier, vice chair of the standing committee of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, chair of International Human Rights Committee, a Member of Parliament of Canada.  Below is her speech at the Toronto Press Conference on July 20, 2000.] 

One year ago, in July 20^th 1999, the Chinese government officially began a campaign to eradicate the practice of Falun Gong.  The blatant attack on practitioners and the following actions to outlaw the practice of Falun Gong has been the most aggressive step backwards that the Chinese government has taken in their quest to become a major player in the free world since the attack on the Tianenmen Square.

Falun Dafa is not a political organization bent on taking over, overthrowing the present regime in China.  Nor is it a financial group working to control the economics of China.  They are a group of individuals searching for inner peace and self-knowledge.  You know, it has been said that the search for oneself or the search for God is the search for oneself.  So although Falun Dafa does not claim to be a religious organization, I think that in many ways it fits the definition as we all see spirituality and a religious organization.  As many of you know, especially Susan and Patricia from Amnesty, the incidences of religious persecution around the world is growing.  As well as being the Vice Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I am the Chair of the International Human Right Committee which is very very frustrating position.  Frustrating, not only because of the inaction we see around the world from various groups.  It's frustrating because there is a bit of hypocritical selectiveness which all of our governments choose to battle human rights.  Now, you know, China is a very important country to us in terms of trade and in terms of the economics of our own country.  I think many of you understand that as Parliamentarian and especially for me a member of the Parliament of the Government of Canada, our main priority are to the Canadian people, I think that in assessing the human right abuses in China and we know that the Falun Dafa talks are just one of many, and it is certainly the most obvious right now, although not to Amnesty.  Amnesty is aware of many other human right abuses.  But in order to assess a blame, I think that we have to go back in history and perhaps give ourselves and some of the western countries, we have to accept our burdens as well.  When Mao took over in China, we know that there is a social injustice going on there and what did we do?  Because it was under the label of communism, we immediately isolated China.  Under Isolationism, no country can grow and our attitude of Laisser-faire and let them starve and let them fend for themselves and they will learn, hasn't worked, we know that. 

You know when you involve in human right, it's very easy to become a little sanctimonious and assume that those who do not and are not actively pursuing your goal are less human than you are.  And Susan asked the question what does it say about the hearts and the minds of the people in China.  Over the first couple years that I was  a member of the Parliament, I was the Vice Chair of Canada China Parliamentary Friendship Association.  I think everyone in this room recognizes the fact that people who are in the government of China, they are not all monstrous.  In fact, perhaps even those who are ordering this policy, they are not really monsters.  There is a basic lack of understanding, a fear, a fear of the unknown.  So, I think today what I would like to do and what I think is necessary is to plead with the government of China, with the officials who are here in Canada, with those who are members of the Canada China Friendship group, to dialogue.  We've got to learn to understand each other.  After all, we as Canadians certainly have to be able to recognize we are not free of human right abuses ourselves in the history of this country.  We can go back right from our foundation.  Look at what we've done to our native people that we were just beginning to have to face today.  Look at what we did to the Sikhs and the Hindus in 1914.  What we did to the Italians and Japanese during the war.  We turned back the Jewish ship during second world war, sent them back to a certain death in Germany.  So we are not without our own past sin and the only way that we are going to be able to advance in the world with human right is to acknowledge our own sins and to assist in helping to rid the others of the lack of understanding.  Tolerance can only come through learning and dialogue and understanding.  Tolerance is a word that I think that Canada, I hope Canada is moving beyond.  Tolerance is a word that engineers use to measure a level of stress.  So as in Canada, we have passed tolerance into an embracing of each other and a love and an understanding.  Perhaps, if the government of China is willing, we can share some of our secrets with them.  I like to really pay tribute to Amnesty International.  They do a tremendous, tremendous job in alerting us and in informing us.  When you sit and listen to the abuses, facts that Susan was reading, it's hard to believe that one human being can treat another one that way.  And I think that we have to, it's our responsibility to find out why and to go beyond this to an understanding.

Thank You.