Office of Hon. David Kilgour, P.C., M.P., Edmonton – Mill Woods - Beaumont
163 East Block, House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6
Bureau de l’hon. David Kilgour, C.P. Député, Edmonton – Mill Woods – Beaumont
Pièce 163, Édifice de l’Est, Chambre des communes, Ottawa (Ontario) K1A 0A6

April 21, 2005

Standing Order 31

On the occasion of the one year anniversary of the visit by his Holiness the Dalai Lama

Mr. Speaker,

At this time last year we were fortunate to be in the company of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama during his visit to Parliament Hill. On the first anniversary of the visit I hope that we can all reflect on his message.

I can say that in 26 years in Parliament I have never seen such a powerful reception as he received on the hill. The welcome is concrete proof of the resonance that the values of the Tibetan people and their struggle have with Canadians.

We as the Parliamentary Friends of Tibet, which can count parliamentarians from all parties among its members urge the Canadian government to speak out against China’s incursion upon the Tibetan way of life and to condemn China’s railway to Tibet.

In this week’s International Policy Statement, the word “Tibet” did not appear once.  Neither did the phrase “human rights in China”.  This is not a reflection of the desires of the Canadian public or Parliament. I also call upon Canadians as shareholders of Bombardier, Nortel and Power Corporation to voice their objection to the involvement of these companies in the construction of this railway.

At this critical juncture in Tibet’s struggle it is incumbent upon us as Canadians do all we can to help the assist the Tibetan people in their struggle for self determination.

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