By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Aug. 19: The Special Committee on Canada-China Relations unanimously passed a motion on Tuesday expressing support for dialogue between His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s representatives from the Tibetan administration and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The motion by the special committee was first introduced by MP Garnett Genuis earlier this month during the testimony by CTA President Dr. Lobsang Sangay.
The committee voted to adjourn the motion and eventually voted unanimously for the motion to support the resumption the Sino-Tibetan dialogue and pressure China into resolving the issue of Tibet. Several Tibet groups and associations in Canada lobbied for all-party support for the motion during the adjournment period. The motion will be brought to the Canadian House of Commons next month.
The talks between the Tibetan representatives and Chinese counterparts have been stalled since 2010 after nine runs of talks.
On Aug 6, President urged the committee to support Middle-Way Approach and asserted the need to push for a legitimate dialogue between the envoys of the Dalai Lama and the representatives of China. He also requested the Canadian government to pressurize the Chinese government by expressing solidarity and joining allies of democracy to further the cause of human rights in Tibet, East Turkistan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
Dr. Sangay also spoke about China’s masked diplomacy on the international platform and compared ‘Unity Law’ in Tibet and national security law imposed in Hong Kong among other issues. The special parliamentarian committee which was established last year examines different aspects of Canada-China relations including economic, legal, security, and diplomatic matters.
