October 10, 2002
(Clearwisdom.net)
It is always a delight to be at Falun Gong events. Of course the purpose of our meetings are very serious but you are always surrounded by such a fine group of people who transparently represent the values of truthfulness compassion and forbearance that are the basis of the Falun Gong system of beliefs.
One of the very first things that I did when I was elected was to make a statement about Mr. Kunlun Zhang. In fact that was the very first thing I arose and spoke about in the House of Commons after I was elected. And that wasn't because I had any particular awareness of the issues, it was because of the fact or any particular insight. It was because of the fact that there had been a couple of constituents who during the election 2000 had come to every single candidates debate, all candidates debate, and asked what we would do about Falun Gong and particularly about the fact that there was a Canadian citizen in prison in China in another country for doing nothing other than practicing his beliefs. Those people who were coming to those debates were Lucy and Xun Li who are here today. They have done so much for their fellow practitioners that they deserve a round of applause from all of us. (applause)
Libby was right it is awfully easy to stand here as a Member of Parliament and speak. You can say anything you want intelligent or foolish courageous or not and nothing will happen to you. The worst that can happen to you is that you will lose an election and go on in some other aspect of life. But you can see from the video there are people who simply standing up and expressing there point of view, simply standing up and saying I am not prepared to abandon the beliefs that motivate my life, is enough to get them captured , arrested as you saw, imprisoned to vanish into the mob of that terrible police state machine that exists in China. And we can despair of the fact that this occurs. Looking outside that this is incomparable except that we have seen that some efforts have been successful with the extraordinary efforts put out by Falun Gong practitioners here in Canada, in the United States, in Australia, in Germany, in Sweden. I am only naming a few of the countries on behalf of their fellow practitioners. And because of their efforts on behalf of their fellow practitioners. And because other fellow practitioners in China are willing to take on these risks themselves we have seen that some people do emerge from that terrible police state machine.
Some who have been released from prison have joined us here in Canada and actually there is now a growing list. So that it is very gratifying and looking at some of these individuals at Ying Zhu and Kunlun Zhang, I must say as a Canadian knowing that they are here with us as Canadians it gives me faith makes me confident in my country and the future of my country. That we are able to integrate them as our citizens that they are able to take a leading role as this country and be an example of courage and of faith and of course truthfulness compassion and forbearance to all of us.
Thank you very much.
