Ottawa, June 10, 2024: The Parliament of Canada today passed a unanimous motion in the House of Commons calling for Tibet’s right to self-determination. The motion refers to Tibetans as “people and a nation” with the right to choose their own social, economic, cultural, and religious policies, including the selection of the next Dalai Lama.
The motion was sponsored by the Bloc Quebecois and introduced in the House by BQ Member of Parliament Alexis Brunnelle-Duceppe.
“We are thrilled that the motion has passed unanimously,” said Sherap Therchin, Executive Director of the Canada Tibet Committee. “It shows that Tibet enjoys broad support across all political parties in the House of Commons.”
Adoption of the motion comes as Canada Tibet Lobby Days (CTLD) 2024 was underway. Tibetans from across Canada have travelled to Ottawa to meet with Members of Parliament and to voice their concerns about the deteriorating situation in their homeland.
This historic milestone comes after a series of meetings by Sikyong Penpa Tsering, Representative Dr. Namgyal Choedup, and Chairperson of the Canada Tibet Committee, Samphe Lhalungpa with the leaders of Bloc Quebecois in Montreal, Ottawa, and Washington DC.
(1) Text of the motion: That this House recognizes: a) That China is carrying out a policy of systemic cultural assimilation against Tibetans; b) That Tibetans, as a people and a nation, can claim the right to self-determination; c) As such, they are empowered to freely choose their economic, social, cultural, and religious policies without interference from any external power; d) That this empowerment prohibits China from interfering in the choice of the next Tibetan spiritual leader, the eventual successor of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.