Ottawa, June 19, 2023: A new report on the situation inside Tibet has been tabled by the Canadian Parliamentary Committee on International Human Rights (SDIR) (1). The report, entitled “The Human Rights Situation of Tibetans and the Chinese Residential Boarding School and Preschool System”, includes 18 wide-ranging recommendations (2).
The recommendations confirm the full support of Canadian Parliamentarians, across all political parties, for adoption of a broader and more comprehensive Tibet policy by the Government of Canada.
In particular, the report recommends that Canada should create a position of “Tibet Coordinator” within the Department of Foreign Affairs and that it take proactive steps to encourage renewal of the Sino-Tibetan dialogue, based on the Middle Way Approach (3). In addition, the report calls for renewed government advocacy around the case of the Panchen Lama’s disappearance (4).
The report requests a full response from the Government.
“The Canada Tibet Committee (CTC) has long advocated for these actions to be taken by the Government of Canada” said Sherap Therchin, Executive Director of the CTC. “The time has come for our Government to address the root cause of human rights violations in Tibet which is China’s political stronghold including the imposition of cultural policies.” (2)
The Committee’s report also contains recommendations regarding Government of China education policies which undermine the traditional Tibetan culture and language and which contravene China’s own legal framework for regional autonomy.
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Notes:
(1) The SDIR is a subcommittee of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/FAAE
(2) The full Committee report with recommendations is available at: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/441/FAAE/Reports/RP12533683/faaerp19/faaerp19-e.pdf
(3) The Middle Way Approach is described at: https://www.dalailama.com/messages/tibet/middle-way-approach
(4) Read more about the Panchen Lama’s disappearance: https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/china/tibet/