Has the Canadian government turned its back on the Tibetan cause?

Amid deserving global attention on human rights violations in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, the international community, including Canada, seems to have forgotten about the cause of Tibet. After all, it’s not as if Premier Xi Jinping has been making any special exceptions for Tibetans in terms of the level of atrocities being unleashed on minority groups across China. In Canada, this abandonment was on full display last month, when the House of Commons denied unanimous consent to a June 22 motion on Tibet. All it asked was that Canada support the resumption of dialogue between the Chinese government and representatives of the Tibetan people, which last took place 11 years ago. How could such an innocuous motion not pass? A national coalition of Tibetan groups and Tibet supporters came together to lobby Parliamentarians from across parties to garner support for this motion. Before that, the same motion was approved unanimously in the House of Commons’ Special Committee on Canada-China Relations. There’s even a precedent of similar motions on Tibet being passed by unanimous consent, such as one introduced by the NDP’s Peggy Nash back in 2007. Given the age of his Holiness the Dalai Lama, there has been a new urgency among Tibetans to resolve the seven-decade old conflict with China. The recently elected President (Sikyong) Penpa Tsering of the Tibetan government-in-exile has identified Sino-Tibetan dialogue as a top priority for his administration. Tibetans are ready to seek genuine autonomy for themselves within the framework of the Chinese constitution—even as communist authorities have repeatedly rejected peace overtures and calls for reconciliation. We know why the People's Republic of China (PRC), in its current bent, might reject attempts at compromise. What we don’t understand is why our Liberal government has chosen to do this work for them. In doing so they have abandoned Canada’s traditional commitments to Tibet, ones that reflected a wholly Canadian blend of principle, mettle, and courage. This latest disappointment follows on a pattern of sidelining the Tibetan cause by this government over the past many years. In 2019, a Senate motion in favour of Tibetan autonomy was introduced by Conservative Senator Thanh Hai Ngo, but never came to a vote. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has barely mentioned the word "Tibet" since his election in 2015. Between 2009 and 2012, the Dalai Lama (one of only six honorary Canadian citizens) made annual visits to Canada. Previous Canadian prime ministers, including Stephen Harper and Paul Martin, routinely defied Chinese warnings in order to meet with the renowned Tibetan spiritual leader. Under Trudeau, both of these trends have come to an abrupt and puzzling halt. Canada’s silence on Tibet puts us at odds with our European, Indian, and American peers, all of whom have expressed greater commitment to Tibetan democracy and human rights than we have as of late. The push for Sino-Tibetan dialogue has received support from the European, Italian, and Dutch parliaments, the European Commission, the German Green Party, and the U.S. State Department, among others. While Canada sat on its hands, the United States Congress signed two separate bills on Tibetan affairs into law. These include the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018 and the landmark Tibet Policy and Support Act of 2019, which calls for non-interference in the succession process of the Dalai Lama by the Chinese government, as well as the establishment of a U.S. consulate in Lhasa, the historic capital of Tibet. Canada should likewise take immediate measures to better co-ordinate its own Tibet policies in lockstep with our closest friends and allies. In light of recent events, Canadians are increasingly finding that issues such as Tibet and China are not so remote and not so foreign. There are now more than 10,000 individuals of Tibetan origin residing in Canada, with the vast majority of them living in Parkdale-High Park neighbourhood in Toronto. Together, they form the largest and most vibrant Tibetan diaspora outside India in the entire world. They are proud Canadians, with an expectation that their government will advocate for human rights and advance Canada’s role as a defender of liberty and justice everywhere. As a middle power with a working example of regional autonomy within its own borders in the form of Québec, we believe that Canada is uniquely positioned to push the PRC for real dialogue with the representatives of Tibet. A non-violent, negotiated solution is still possible. Whether our current government is willing to embrace those responsibilities is a different matter altogether. Sherap Therchin is the executive director of the Canada Tibet Committee. Anvesh Jain is a research associate at the Canada Tibet Committee. The Hill Times

Has the Canadian government turned its back on the Tibetan cause?

As a middle power with a working example of regional autonomy within its own borders, we believe that Canada is uniquely positioned to push the PRC for real dialogue with the representatives of Tibet.

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Has the Canadian government turned its back on the Tibetan cause?

As a middle power with a working example of regional autonomy within its own borders, we believe that Canada is uniquely positioned to push the PRC for real dialogue with the representatives of Tibet.

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