(Minghui.org) May 13, 2021 marks the 29th anniversary of Falun Dafa’s introduction to the public. It is also the 70th birthday of Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of the practice.
With five sets of gentle exercises and the guiding principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong) has benefited about 100 million practitioners around the world and society in general. Sadly, this peaceful mind-body practice has been persecuted since 1999 by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the land of its origin.
On the special occasion of World Falun Dafa Day, many elected representatives around the world have taken part in Dafa Day festivities, and have offered letters of greeting, congratulations, have raised flags in honor of Dafa Day, or have shined lights on landmark building. Numerous elected officials also posted video greetings on social media on May 13, wishing practitioners well.
During her speech to the Canadian Parliament on May 13, Judy Sgro, co-chair of Parliamentary Friends of Falun Gong, praised Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. She also expressed her well wishes to all Falun Dafa practitioners around the world.
Greetings from Over 120 Officials in Canada
Over 120 federal, provincial, and city-level officials in Canada have sent greetings to the Falun Dafa Association, highlighting the importance of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance especially during difficult times such as the current pandemic. They thanked practitioners for providing free online teachings to improve people’s health. They also acknowledged practitioners’ perseverance of safeguarding their faith in the 22-year-long persecution in China.
“Your compassion, your truthfulness, your moral [virtues], your principles … are wonderful attributes for all of you practising Falun Dafa and part of the Falun Dafa movement. They are wonderful principles for yourself, but also for the rest of us to share,” said MP Sgro on May 13, “We should continue to focus on the issues of freedom, respect, and love for each other as we build and continue to build an even better Canada in a better world.”
Judy Sgro, MP, currently serves as the chair of the Standing Committee on International Trade. She is also co-chair of Parliamentary Friends of Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa).
MP Sgro is optimistic that the annual celebrations and rallies held by Falun Dafa practitioners in Ottawa and other cities will happen again. “I look forward to the time where we can be on the grass of Parliament Hill or in the main square of Nathan Phillips Square, enjoying again each other’s company and celebrating the principles and the merits of the Falun Dafa movement,” she added.
“Aspire to emulate” Principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance
James Bezan, Member of Parliament and Shadow Minister for National Defence, said he is happy to celebrate the 29th anniversary of Falun Dafa’s introduction to the public.
James Bezan, MP
“We celebrate this amazing faith that is practiced by so many people around the world, but particularly right here in Canada,” he said in a video posted on Twitter. “The Falun Dafa principles of truth, compassion and tolerance resonate with Canadians from coast to coast to coast, and it is the one we all aspire to emulate.”
MP Bezan also hopes to attend the celebration in person next year instead of congratulating this event virtually from Parliament.
Sanctioning CCP Officials for Organ Harvesting
Bezan condemned the CCP’s ongoing suppression of Falun Dafa in China.
“There’s no question that the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China by the communist regime in Beijing needs to be called out. Those responsible for committing these atrocities such as organ harvesting have to be sanctioned, if not charged with crimes against humanity,” he said.
Bezan was one of the champions of passing a Magnitsky Law in Canada. He said he and other members of parliament would continue to urge the federal government to apply this law to “sanction those who are using their authorities, are committing these gross human rights violations, and of course, enriching themselves.”
“They should not be allowed to use Canada as a safe haven for travel, for bringing their family here to get an education, or to hide their illicit wealth,” he added.
Joint Effort to Stop the Persecution
Garnett Genuis, MP, remarked that Falun Gong practitioners’ commitment in staying true to the teachings of Falun Gong in the face of persecution inspires him.
Garnett Genuis, MP
“I know that the Falun Gong community has been leading the way in terms of advocating for their own community, but also highlighting the plight of other communities facing challenges as well, again, from that mentality of emphasizing compassion, truthfulness, and forbearance,” he said in a video on May 12.
Genuis added that he has been making efforts to combat forced organ harvesting and trafficking, and is working on passing legislation to make it a criminal offense for individuals to go abroad to receive an organ that was taken without the donor’s consent.
“Because we know there are cases where people from other countries outside of China go to China and receive an organ that has been taken through organ harvesting. And so we want to address that issue by stopping that demand for these organs and hopefully contributing to reducing the persecution along the way.”
Genuis said he was glad to hear that the U.S. Secretary of State had announced sanctions on May 12 against a senior official for persecuting Falun Gong. He believes that this shows that joint efforts will hold the perpetrators accountable for their crimes against humanity.
A Note on the CCP’s Forced Organ Harvesting
Reports from witnesses and Chinese physicians reveal that large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners in prisons and other detention facilities have been killed for their organs, which are sold and transplanted for profit in state and military hospitals. Further information is available here.
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