Justice minister one of 126 MPs to sign letter of support
By Bob Harvey
The Canada Tibet Committee says 126 members of Parliament will be pressing Prime Minister Paul Martin to meet with the Dalai Lama when the exiled Tibetan leader visits Ottawa in April.
Thubten Samdup, spokesman for the committee, said the Dalai Lama has met the heads of state of virtually every western nation, but Canadian leaders have always refused a meeting.
“If Paul Martin really wants to do something noble, he will listen to the 126 members of Parliament,” he said.
Mr. Samdup said the main reason the Dalai Lama is coming to Ottawa is to thank the 126 MPs from all parties, including Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, and six other cabinet ministers, he says have signed a letter supporting the Canada Tibet Committee’s campaign for the prime minister to serve as an honest broker between China and the Dalai Lama.
Mr. Samdup said Canada is in an ideal position to broker negotiations between the Dalai Lama and China, which occupied Tibet in 1949. The Tibetan leader and 80,000 other Tibetans fled their country in 1959 after a popular uprising, and have been living in exile ever since.
The demands by today’s Tibetans are relatively modest, said Mr. Samdup.
“The Dalai Lama is on record that he is not asking for independence for Tibet. All he is asking is genuine autonomy for his people, so they can practise their religion and culture,” he said.
“It is the first time in 10 years that the Dalai Lama has been in Ottawa, and we are hoping we can provide him with a gift from Canada.”
Mr. Samdup said, that, as opposition leader, Jean Chretien met with the Dalai Lama in 1990, but he refused to meet the Tibetan leader in 1993 when he was prime minister, for fear of endangering trade with China.
“If he had done it, and pulled it off (freedom of culture and religion for Tibet), he could have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize,” said Mr. Samdup.
“I’m not looking for a photo op with the prime minister. If Mr. Martin decides not to meet with the Dalai Lama, that is his loss,” he said.
The Dalai Lama is 68, and Mr. Samdup said some Tibetans are beginning to question his moderate approach to China.
“Young Tibetans are now saying the only thing the world understands is violence and if that happens, the world community will have failed.”
While in Ottawa, the Dalai Lama will meet with business and political leaders and give a public talk on April 23 at a location that is yet to be announced.
As part of his Canadian tour, the Dalai Lama will participate in an academic conference in Vancouver from April 19-21, fly to Ottawa on the 21st and then leave April 24 for Toronto where he will conduct 11 days of intense teaching at the National Trade Centre on one of Buddhism’s most important teachings: Kalachakra for world peace.
Thousands of Buddhists from North America and around the world are expected to participate.
