Ottawa, October 4, 2024 – The Canada Tibet Committee (CTC) hosted a series of meetings from October 2nd to 4th, welcoming Tibetan delegates from the United States. The delegation included Dr. Namgyal Choedup, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the Office of Tibet; Tencho Gyatso, President of the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT); and Bhuchung Tsering who leads Research and Monitoring Unit at the International Campaign for Tibet.
CTC Chair Samphe Lhalungpa and Executive Director Sherap Therchin joined the delegation in meetings with Canadian parliamentarians and government officials to advocate for continued political and developmental support for Tibet. In a separate meeting with Members of Parliament, the delegation met with Minister of Justice Arif Virani; James Maloney, Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Tibet (PFT); Garnett Genuis and Julie Vignola, Vice-Chairs of the PFT; and MP Yvan Baker.
Recognizing the importance of unified advocacy efforts, the collaboration between the CTC and ICT aims to align strategies at the organizational level, especially as democratic governments collectively address human rights violations by the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
The delegation was also joined by Mr. Bob Ankerson, President of the Tibet Fund, who contributed perspectives on the developmental needs of Tibetans in South Asia and on the experiences of The Tibet Fund implementing large scale international development fund projects supporting Tibetans.