Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, Oct 3: President Penpa Tsering of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), also known as the Tibetan government in exile, called on the Canadian government to adopt a more robust position on Tibet during a press conference held at the Parliamentary Press Gallery in Ottawa on Thursday.
The conference highlighted concerns over state-run boarding schools in Tibet and the erosion of Tibetan language, culture, and identity under Chinese rule.
Tsering drew parallels between Tibet and Canada’s history with residential schools. “Tuesday happened to be the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation of what happened in Canada with the residential schools, with the theme of ‘every child matters’,” he said. “Canada has gone through these kinds of experiences in your history, and you have now realised that this was the wrong thing to do… Unfortunately, the same thing is happening in Tibet today.”
The head of the Tibetan polity warned that the continuation of colonial-style boarding schools in Tibet could have dire consequences. “If this goes on… one whole generation of Tibetans would be turned into Chinese. And that is a very, very frightening consequence that we are looking at,” he said. He also emphasised the CTA’s commitment to peaceful coexistence with China. “We are not asking for independence or separation from China. But we are willing to live with the Chinese people… And that is all we are asking for, nothing more,” he said.
He issued a plea urging Canada to ensure that the historical mistakes of residential schools are not repeated elsewhere, including in Tibet. “Since you have stopped the residential schools and are trying to make up for it, please make sure that it does not happen in any other part of the world, including Tibet,” he said.
While speaking to the press, President Tsering pointed out the inability of international institutions to protect Tibet. “The U.N. is the most undemocratic institution in the world. It cannot implement its own resolutions,” he said. “That is why we reach out to governments like Canada whose foreign policy pillars are based on Canada’s security, prosperity, and values.” He emphasised that Canada’s commitment to democracy and freedom positions it as a crucial ally in countering the erosion of Tibetan culture and education under Chinese rule.
During the press conference, several Canadian MPs and representatives of civil societies gave statements supporting the Tibetan cause and criticizing China’s policies in Tibet, including Conservative MP Garnett Genuis, Bloc Québécois MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Liberal MP Karim Bardeesy, Charles Burton, senior advisor of the Canada Tibet Committee, and Dean Baxendale, international columnist and publisher.
