(Minghui.org) Canadian Falun Gong practitioners participated in the Canada Day celebration, along with 40,000 other Canadians, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on July 1, 2015. Their exercise demonstration, beautiful traditional Chinese dance, and powerful band music received a warm response from spectators. Falun Gong practitioners have been participating in the Canada Day celebration every year since 2000. They presented the beauty of Falun Gong through their traditional Chinese art performance, and distributed information about Falun Gong.
Tian Guo Marching Band performs at 2015 Canada Day celebration.
Falun Gong practitioners demonstrate Falun Gong exercises on Parliament Hill during the 2015 Canada Day celebration.
Falun Gong practitioners perform the lion dance at the 2015 Canada Day celebration.
Falun Gong practitioners dance at the 2015 Canada Day celebration.
Warm Feedback from Spectators
Ottawa citizen Mr. Willem Carlton said that he very much appreciated the Falun Gong exercise demonstration. It was the first time he had heard about Falun Gong. He learned a lot about the persecution in China from the photo display. He said he believed that raising awareness about the persecution would help stop it.
Retired teacher Ms. Jean Biro said that the exercise movements seemed very gentle, and she could tell peacefulness from practitioners' body language. She knew Falun Gong was persecuted in China, and was happy to see practitioners enjoying their freedom in Canada. Ms. Biro said that Falun Gong's belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance was very philosophical, and beneficial to society.
Mr. Fan Zuowei told the reporter, “Falun Gong practitioners have their right of belief. They deserve our respect. Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are principles for everyone. If everyone could follow these principles, things will be better in every country.”
Ms. Liu, who recently came to Canada from China, asked where she could learn Falun Gong. After hearing the significance of quitting the communist organizations, she decided to quit the Party and the Youth League. Like Ms. Liu, many other Chinese people quit the communist organizations on the spot.
Prime Minister Harper: Canada Built on Unshakeable Foundation of Values
Prime Minister Harper said during his remarks at the Canada Day celebration on Parliament Hill, “In times of never-ending economic and political turmoil in the world, our country is an island of stability... It is built on an unshakeable foundation of values: freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, which is what draws people here from around the world.”
Canada has firmly stood on its value of human rights, and repeatedly raised concerns over the persecution of Falun Gong in China at United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
The Parliament of Canada Subcommittee on International Human Rights released a statement condemning the harvesting of organs from living Falun Gong practitioners imprisoned for their beliefs in China on February 3, 2015.
The Canadian government raised the issue of state-sanctioned organ harvesting in China on March 12, 2014, during the 25th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
A representative from Canada once again addressed the persecution of religious beliefs, including Falun Gong in China, during the 17th session of the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group held in Geneva on October 21, 2013.
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) held its 23rd session on June 5, 2013, in Geneva, Switzerland. The attending Canadian delegation once again expressed its concern over religious persecution around the world, especially as it relates to Falun Gong in China.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced on February 19, 2013 the establishment of the Office of Religious Freedom within the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. In his remarks at the press conference marking the official opening of the new office, the Prime Minister mentioned the persecution of Falun Gong in China as one of the concerns of the Canadian government.
Prime Minister Harper has sent congratulatory letters on Falun Dafa Day and Falun Dafa Month for the past ten years. He wrote in this year's letter, “Promoting the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, the practice has found a receptive audience in Canada. I commend the Falun Dafa Association of Canada for sharing this discipline with fellow Canadians.”
