Forwarded by: CTC National Office in Montreal

Source: World Tibet Network News, Friday June 17 1995

Ottawa, June 15, 1995: In an about-face, the Canadian Government has allowed passage of a Tibet resolution in the Senate last evening. The resolution, the first such statement passed in either house of the Canadian Parliament, was introduced by Senator Con Di Nino (PC) on March 29, has been debated twice in the past months.

The tone of the debate had led observers to conclude that the Government would attempt to discredit the resolution by claiming that Tibetans are free to practice their religion inside Chinese-occupied Tibet. However, the release of three Amnesty International Reports in May and heavy lobbying by Tibet supporters in Canada, seem to have had a positive effect. When the vote was called, there was no opposition.

Senator Di Nino, who has just returned from the World Parliamentarians Convention on Tibet in Lithuania said, "I told my colleagues that a vote against this resolution was like a vote against motherhood. I am so pleased that it has been successful, but there is still a lot of work to be done for Tibet".

The resolution calls upon the Senate to urge the Government of Canada to encourage negotiations between the Peoples Republic of China and representatives of the Tibetan-government-in-exile without preconditions. It also instructs the Senate to urge the Government of Canada to "extend support to Tibetan people in their struggle to regain their freedom and the preservation of their culture".

Thubten Samdup, North American Member of Parliament in the Tibetan government-in-exile and President of the Canada Tibet Committee said, "This is a very crucial success for Tibet supporters in Canada. It breaks the ice and sets a precedent". Samdup added, "Passage of this resolution is the result of a truly national campaign on the part of Tibetan supporters in Canada. We must continue to work together for the sake of those suffering inside Tibet".

In particular, Mr. Samdup thanks Claudia Johnston of CTC Victoria, who single handedly called over 50 senators, Heather Wardle in Vancouver, Rigzin Dolkar in Toronto and Jim Sullivan and Carole Samdup in Montreal, as well as many other individuals who telephoned, faxed and wrote letter to Senators.