July 16, 2002

Well I've come here today because quite frankly what is happening in China to people throughout China is really an international crime. People who have done nothing except teach truth and compassion and forbearance, I mean how could anyone be opposed to that, how could any civilized nation, how could any civilized person not agree that those are universal truths that certainly must be taught, must be learned, must be passed on from generation to generation, and in fact for simply following a regimen of simple exercises, for believing in truth, and compassion, and forbearance people are ending up in jail in prison camps, horrendous conditions.

We've read of rapes, we've read of people suffering all kinds of disease, we've heard of deaths, we've heard of beatings and it is simply totally unacceptable on the world stage.

In 2008 China will be holding the Olympics and I think this is an opportunity for many people throughout the world to impress upon the Chinese government that we will not tolerate that kind of activity in a country which in just a few years will be showcasing all of the world's talent, all of the world's athletic abilities.

China needs to understand that the 21st century is radically different than past ages and that all of the world's people have a new found sense of freedom, and that goes to allowing religious, and social, and cultural thought to expand in a hundred or a thousand ways.

Although it is the federal government that is responsible for external affairs and relations with other countries, the Ontario government can have a very strong role to play, and they can as part of the leading factor in most of the trade missions impress upon the Chinese government that we will not tolerate that kind of activity. And if there is trade to take place, if there is tourism to take place--and tens of thousands of Canadians go to China every year for the purpose of tourism--if there is money, as there is international lending, all of the things that happen in a modern economy are to take place with China, then China had better be part of the world community.

And being part of the world community is to show those very same things, truth, and compassion, and forbearance. And if they would learn that lesson and do the same thing Falun Gong has done, then I think the situation in China would certainly be much better.

Now in terms of Ontario, I have to say looking down the list of Canadian citizens and permanent residents who are detained in China, it is readily apparent that most of those people are from the Toronto, Ontario area. And I think that the Premier owes it to the people of Ontario, particularly to the practitioners of Falun Gong, but literally to everyone who believes in human rights to make a strong statement.

I am confident that if that kind of statement were made in the Legislature there would be all party approval to it, and that would send a very strong message to the Chinese government. We are simply one province among ten in Canada, but the majority of new immigrants from China come to live here, and the majority of practitioners, I believe, of Falun Gong in Canada live in Ontario, and that we certainly have been able to live very happily with them, in fact we welcome them in our presence.

We think that what they are teaching and what they are practicing is a wonderful thing, and we would like the Chinese government to look at us and to see what a good thing Falun Gong has been to Toronto and to Ontario, and we would like them to believe as we believe that there is room for everyone in this province, and there should be room for everyone in a big and prosperous country like China.

Well having said that I can only say we lend our support to those who are seeking to have all of the people who are in labour camps in China taken out of those labour camps. We believe that they are prisoners of conscience. We agree with Amnesty International that it is unfair and we support Falun Gong in all of your efforts to have those people freed and want full religious, and cultural, and social thought to prevail in China.

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