Canada: Elected Officials Celebrate the 29th Anniversary of Falun Dafa’s Public Introduction (3) - Video Greetings from Federal, Provincial and City Officials

(Minghui.org) May 13, 2021, is the 29^th anniversary of the public introduction of Falun Dafa and the 22^nd World Falun Dafa Day. Elected officials in Canada sent letters and videos to celebrate the occasion and commend Falun Dafa for its contributions to the world. The following are nine video greetings.

Nine elected officials sent video greetings.From left to right in the first row: Judy Sgro, Member of Parliament (MP), MP Garnett Genuis, MP Michael Cooper and MP Colin CarrieFrom left to right in the second row: MP Marilyn Gladu, MP John Brassard, Andrea Khanjin, Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament, City Councilor James Pasternak of Toronto and City Councilor Josh Matlow of Toronto

Your Compassion, Your Truthfulness, Your Principles, and Your Morals Are Wonderful Attributes

Video greeting from MP Judy Sgro

MP Judy Sgro, one of the co-chairs of the Falun Gong Parliamentary Friendship Group, sent a video greeting to honor the 29^th anniversary of the public introduction of Falun Dafa.

She said in the video, “Your compassion, your truthfulness, your principles, and your morals are wonderful attributes to all of you. We should continue to focus on issues of freedom, respect, and love for each other as we continue to build a better Canada and a better world.

“Congratulations to all you celebrating virtually. I look forward to the time we can meet on Parliament Hill,” she said.

Falun Gong Practitioners’ Perseverance Is Inspiring

Video greeting from MP Garnett Genuis

MP Garnett Genuis, one of the co-chairs of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said in his video, “Your commitment to Compassion, Truthfulness, and Forbearance in the midst of very challenging circumstances has been an inspiration to me and to many others.

“We have worked together to combat the horrific persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China and others,” he said. “There are so many human rights issues coming out of China right now, and I know the Falun Gong community has been leading the way in terms of advocating for their own community but also highlighting the plight of the other communities facing challenges as well.”

“One of the key issues that I have been working on is combating forced organ harvesting and trafficking. I have been working on passing legislation in Canada to make it a criminal offense for a person to go abroad to receive an organ that was taken without consent.

“There are cases where people from other countries outside of China to go to China and receive an organ that has been taken through [forced] organ harvesting. We want to address that issue by stopping that demand for these organs to contribute to reducing the persecution along the way.

“The bill S-204 would also create a mechanism by which someone could be made inadmissible to Canada if they have been involved in this horrific practice of forced organ harvesting and trafficking,” said MP Genuis.

Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Will Prevail Against the Chinese Communist Regime

Video greeting from MP Michael Cooper of Alberta

MP Michael Cooper said in his video, “We know of the serious human rights abuses that are being perpetrated against peaceful Falun Dafa practitioners every day by the Chinese communist regime, including arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings, torture, and mass forced organ harvesting.

“I, as a Member of Parliament, have consistently spoken out against these gross human rights violations and have called on the Government of Canada to take appropriate measures including the imposition of Magnitsky sanctions on those responsible for these egregious human rights violations. There is a lot of work to do, and I can assure you I will continue to speak out in support of Falun Dafa practitioners who are being persecuted,” said MP Cooper.

Video greeting from MP Colin Carrie

MP Colin Carrie said, “Your focus for Falun Dafa Day on Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance means even more to the world, and I want to thank you for sharing traditional Chinese values with Canada and the Canadian community so that we can all get through this pandemic together.”

Video greeting from MP Marilyn Gladu

MP Marilyn Gladu said in her video greeting, “I want to send my greetings to the whole Falun Gong community and to say that I stand with you against tyranny, against injustice for everyone to have the freedom to practice their religion without interference.”

Video greeting from MP John Brassard

MP John Brassard said, “Despite the teachings of Falun Dafa, too many people are tortured, persecuted and killed because of their spiritual practice. Hatred is wrong in any form, and it doesn’t belong anywhere in the world. Today I’m joining my colleagues and conservative leader Hon. Erin O’Toole in reaffirming our commitment to human rights, freedom, and the rule of law. On Falun Dafa Day, let’s be thankful to those who carry on the compassionate message of Falun Dafa.”

Video greeting from Andrea Khanjin, Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament

Andrea Khanjin, Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament, said in her greeting, “Today is time to think of those who have been wrongfully tortured and even sometimes killed because they are Falun Gong practitioners. On this solemn anniversary, we remember these martyrs to freedom of conscience and religion, and we admire and applaud the strength and courage of millions of Falun Gong practitioners still suffering persecution under the campaign and fear of intimidation that extends beyond the borders of the People’s Republic of China.

“I also want to take this opportunity to thank the Falun Gong community for their contributions to make Canada an even better place to live and to cherish the value of truthfulness. You remind us that we should never take our freedoms for granted and the importance of upholding those freedoms,” she said.

Video greeting from City Councilor James Pasternak of Toronto

Toronto city councilor James Pasternak said, “As one of the most diverse cities in the world, Toronto benefits immensely from the customs, traditions, and enduring teachings Falun Dafa has brought to the public over the past 29 years.

“It promotes the principles of zhen, shan, and ren (Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance). These values represent the best of our city, promoting health, tolerance, and harmony for everyone in our society, the very embodiment of our city, and the country’s multiculturalism,” he said.

Video greeting from City Councilor Josh Matlow of Toronto

Toronto city councilor Josh Matlow said in his video, “It is so important that your guiding values of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance are present in our community, and I deeply respect and support your peaceful, tolerant practice and your dedication to sharing it with others. I wish you all the best for your Falun Dafa Month festivities.”

Background: What is Falun Dafa?

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Millions of people have embraced the teachings—which are based on the principles of “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance”—and experienced uplifted health and well-being.

Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline's growing popularity as a threat to the CCP's atheistic ideology and on July 20, 1999, issued an order to ban the practice.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 22 years. The actual number is believed to be much higher. More have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply the organ transplant industry.

Under Jiang's personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.