Toronto, Canada: Introducing Falun Dafa at the International Dragon Boat Race Festival

(Minghui.org) The 2025 Toronto International Dragon Boat Race Festival was held at Centre Island on June 14 and 15, 2025. Over 180 teams made up of 3,000 members from across the world participated in the event.

Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) practitioners demonstrated the exercises, introduced the spiritual practice and told people about the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution, and collected signatures at Harbour Square Park. Many people stopped to learn about Falun Dafa and signed the petition calling on G7 leaders to help stop the CCP’s forced organ harvesting. This year, the G7 summit is being held in Canada.

Practitioners do the Falun Dafa exercises at Harbour Square Park.

Practitioners talk to passers-by and collect signatures.

People sign the petition calling to end the persecution.

A practitioner tells passers-by about Falun Dafa and the CCP’s persecution.

“Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Will Make the World Better”

Lana (left) and Julia (right) are members of a local women’s organization in Toronto

Lana from Russia is a leader of a local women’s organization in Toronto. She went to Harbour Square Park with Julia, an organization member from Ukraine. They both signed the petition.

Lana said that she had talked to Falun Dafa practitioners before. She thought cultivating oneself and meditating were good and important to people. She left her contact number with a practitioner, and said she wished to learn the Falun Dafa exercises.

Referring to Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, she said, “Truthfulness, I think we live in an economy-oriented society that requires goal-oriented actions. It all comes down to sincerity in one’s heart, so this is why I support truthfulness. Compassion is one of the unique qualities that a successful leader must possess. Many rich people in the world said that in the business world, what matters is not what you have, but how you use what you have. This is what I understand as compassion. For Forbearance, I think it is tolerance and patience, and being kind to everyone around us, which is important. If people act according to this concept, the world will be a better place.”

After learning about the CCP’s persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China, they said they would do their best to help. Before they left, Lana told the practitioner, “We will see each other again soon.”

The Persecution Is Cruel

Aaron reads the poster.

Aaron is a self-employed student and lives in Toronto. He said he’s seen practitioners do the exercises in parks. He’s also meditated at home. After a practitioner told him about the persecution in China, Aaron said it was unbelievable that practitioners are locked up just because they meditate and read the Fa. He signed the petition.

After learning that Falun Dafa is based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, he said, “Truthfulness means that you must be honest with yourself. If you aren’t honest, you don’t know who you are. If you aren’t honest with yourself, you live in an unreal world. Compassion means that you must be compassionate to yourself and others. People cannot only be compassionate to themselves, but also to others. They must learn from others. And forbearance, I think it is tolerance, and we must also maintain tolerance in our daily lives. For example, when facing a quarrel, if we have tolerance, we will calm down and talk to others calmly.” He wrote down the FalunDafa.org website and said he would look into Falun Dafa.

“I Support Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance”

Ardeshir from Iran encouraged practitioners.

Ardeshir is a legal professional and a human rights activist from Iran. He said his friend told him about Falun Dafa a few years ago, and he also learned about the persecution of practitioners in China during a human rights conference.

After signing the petition, he said, “I know that Falun Dafa practices according to the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. I support and agree with this. We must treat each other sincerely and kindly, and spread positive energy and correct ideas in society. This is very good.

“I also know that the CCP persecutes practitioners. Suppression, imprisonment, and killing are all very sad. As a human rights activist, I support you.”

More People Should Learn About the Issue

Randy

Randy was drawn by the banners and the group practice, and said this was the first time he has heard about Falun Dafa. He saw practitioners sitting quietly on the lawn, doing the exercises in the sun, and he thought it was beautiful.

He pointed to the words “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance” on the Falun Dafa flyer and said that the practice concept was correct. He read the poster and learned that Falun Dafa practitioners in China are persecuted by the CCP, and even their organs are harvested while they are still alive. He said it was simply incomprehensible. He signed the petition and said, “It is important that you’re here and let more people know the truth.”

Chinese Quit the CCP Organizations

Two young Chinese female college students looked at the flyer which introduced Falun Dafa and the exercises, and said they liked the small origami lotus flower which had the words: “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” They said they heard about Falun Dafa and they knew the CCP was bad.

They signed the petition. One of them said, “We read the news and learned about the CCP’s brutal persecution. The CCP is really so bad and has killed so many of you practitioners. I will definitely support you in your effort to expose the persecution. Many Chinese students overseas know about the tragic experience of Falun Dafa in China.”

A practitioner asked if they attended school in China and joined the Communist Youth League or Young Pioneers. One of the girls said she was born and raised in China, and the other joined the Young Pioneers. The practitioner told her, “You should quit. You once wore its red scarf and raised your right fist to swear to dedicate your life to it. Our lives are so precious, how can we dedicate them to the CCP?” She agreed, and the practitioner gave her an alias and helped her quit the Young Pioneers. The girl thanked the practitioner for telling her to remember, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”

A man from China told a practitioner, “You Falun Gong practitioners are really powerful and tenacious. Now more and more people in China have seen through the nature of the CCP. Recently, a young doctor who exposed the hospital’s organ harvesting was killed. People believe what practitioners say is true. The CCP is so bad, so I sent my children to study abroad.” As he spoke, he signed the petition. When the practitioner asked if he withdrew from the CCP he said he withdrew online.