Letter from the Canadian Union of Public Employees to Canadian Prime Minister Prior to Trade Trip to China

September 13, 2001

The Right Honourable Jean Chretien
Prime Minister
Government of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 9A6

Dear Prime Minister Chretien:

I am writing on behalf of the 495,000 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, to express deep concern about the severe persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

The Falun Gong is explicitly apolitical and peaceful. Practitioners seek only to cultivate truth, compassion, and tolerance through lifestyle, meditation, and exercise. Yet the Chinese government has detained, imprisoned, and tortured tens of thousands of practitioners.

I urgently request you to pressure the Chinese government to release all Falun Gong practitioners and to stop this persecution. In particular, I urge you to:

• Openly condemn the severe human rights violation of Falun Gong practitioners in China;
• Raise the Falun Gong issue on your trip to China in October; request the unconditional release of Shenli Lin, husband of a Canadian citizen;
• And to place the Falun Gong issue as a first priority of the Bilateral human rights dialogue between Canada and China in the coming fall season.

I look forward to being advised of what actions you have taken on the issue.

Yours sincerely,

Judy Darcy

National President