(Clearwisdom.net) Upon hearing about Hu Jintao's visit to Canada on September 8, 2005, Falun Gong practitioners in Canada held many discussions about how best to make use of the situation. Everyone agreed to take advantage of the opportunity to let Hu Jintao learn the facts about Falun Gong so that he could make the right choices. More importantly, Hu's visit was also an opportunity to help the Canadian people, including the Prime Minister, learn the facts, support justice and choose their own bright future.
Full-scale Truth Clarification Activities
Several weeks before Hu Jintao's visit, practitioners conducted extensive truth clarification activities using various formats in each city, including anti-torture exhibitions, signature collection drives, hosting forums in both English and Chinese, and explaining the facts to each level of Canadian government - from members of Parliament to the Prime Minister. Practitioners also clarified the truth to each of the mainstream media outlets.
Under the late summer burning sun, practitioners from Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Kingston held an anti-torture exhibition in Ottawa for two weeks. Most of them were older practitioners and several were over 70 years old. Many Canadian citizens were touched and signed their names to oppose the persecution of Falun Gong in China.
  Anti-torture exhibition in front of Parliament |
Before Hu's visit, practitioners held four press conferences in Ottawa and two large rallies in front of Parliament. One rally was to call for the denial of entry into Canada of Bo Xilai, a human rights criminal implicated in the persecution of Falun Gong. The other was to call on the Prime Minster to raise the Falun Gong issue in his meeting with Hu Jintao. Members of Parliament (MP) David Kilgour, Ed Broadbent, and Scott Reid expressed their support at the rally. Practitioners in Toronto and Vancouver also conducted various truth-clarification activities. Through the collective effort of practitioners across the country, nearly ten thousand Canadians co-signed an appeal letter to call on the Prime Minister to raise the Falun Gong issue in his meeting with Hu Jintao.
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Many mainstream media in Canada also covered China's human rights situation, including the persecution of Falun Gong
Through the effort of practitioners and the Canadian people, human rights criminal Bo Xilai, who was initially on the list of Chinese delegates, did not enter Canada.
Hu Jintao Visits Canada, the Facts Cannot Be Covered Up
On September 8, Hu Jintao arrived in Ottawa in a heavy rain and went to the Westin Hotel. Practitioners held banners along the route to the hotel in the rain. The banners read, "Bring to justice Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Liu Jing, Zhou Yongkang," "Bring to justice the ruthless police and others who persecute Falun Gong," "Hu Jintao, the time that Heaven and the people give to you is limited," "Stop the persecution of Falun Gong" and "Falun Dafa is good."
  Practitioners hold banners along the Chinese delegation's route to the hotel |
  Hu Jintao's motorcade passes by |
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According to Ms. Zhang Monghua from Toronto, practitioners waited in the heavy rain to give Hu Jintao an opportunity to learn the facts. Many practitioners, including elderly practitioners, did not eat anything until afternoon. Everyone was in high spirits and cooperated well with each other.
Practitioners Clarify the Truth in front of Hu's Hotel
Practitioner Dai Gongyu said, "Unlike they did in later locations where they entered and exited though the side door, Hu Jintao and his delegation entered and exited through the hotel's front gate in Ottawa. They could see clearly the practitioners' appeal site and they heard our voices."
  Practitioners' peaceful protest in front of the hotel |
  On the street in front of the hotel, Hu Jintao's motorcade many times passed by the practitioners' banners, including a banner about the "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" and about people renouncing the Communist Party |
Ms. Dai told of a specific incident early on the morning of September 8 when practitioners came to the hotel where Hu stayed to set up various banners, hold group practice and send forth righteous thoughts in front of the hotel. When Hu Jintao's motorcade arrived, the practitioners used loudspeakers to call out, "Falun Dafa is good," "Stop the persecution of Falun Gong," and the three messages to Hu Jintao. As the Chinese delegation was just across the street, they could see the practitioners and hear them clearly.
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Someone was afraid of seeing and hearing the practitioners' righteous voices. In order to have Hu Jintao not see the practitioners and their banners, pro-CCP (Chinese Communist Party) persons rented a large bus and parked it on the street in front of the hotel, to block the view of the practitioners.
Ms. Dai said, "For several hours the bus did not leave. We realized that the bus parking there was not right. We could not accept this arrangement. Then we talked with the bus driver and pointed out that parking there was not allowed. We told the driver it would be shameful to be there only to block the petitioners. It does not conform to Canadian's rules. During the discussion, a CCP official came forward to interfere and would not let the driver talk with practitioners. The practitioners then reported the violation to the Royal Mounted Police and the Ottawa Police and explained to them the practitioners' petition here and the persecution in China. The bus finally left. The police promised us that no similar incident would occur. Our banners could be seen clearly again as Hu Jintao's delegation entered and exited the hotel."
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A Compassionate Call from the Bottom of Our Hearts
  Practitioners shout together to Hu Jintao |
During the two days of Hu's visit in Canada, practitioners sent out their pure and compassionate voices whether in front of the hotel, the General Governor's office, the Museum of Civilization or Parliament. Practitioner Mao Huizhi from St Louis, Missouri, USA said, "We wished to give him the opportunity to stop the persecution of Falun Gong and to bring the criminals [who persecute Falun Gong] to justice. His visit to Canada, I think, should have him be moved."
Practitioner Jing Zhi recalled, "My deepest impression was at around 7 a.m. on the morning when Hu Jintao left, we practiced the exercise in front of the hotel. Later, everyone started to speak out loudly together. Actually, I felt we offered a compassionate call from the bottom of our hearts. One practitioner led the call and our voice was strong and determined. I felt the righteous field. Western practitioners were also touched and many practitioners had tears in their eyes. Everyone offered the calls from the heart and wished for Hu to be awakened and be saved. At that time, we could clearly see Hu Jintao and his wife only a few steps away."
Canadian Government, People and the Media Pay Attention to the Persecution of Falun Gong in China
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Practitioners' appeal in front of Parliament to call for an end to the persecution. The Canadian Prime Minister raised the Falun Gong issue during his meeting in Parliament with Hu Jintao
Practitioner Ms. Zhang Menghua said during an interview, "Besides wishing to give Hu Jintao the messages, we wished to take advantage of the opportunity to have more Canadian people learn the facts and be saved."
On September 9, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin raised the Falun Gong issue in his meeting with Hu Jintao in Parliament in Ottawa. Based on practitioner Li Xun's recollection, on the evening of September 8, Stephen Harper, leader of the Official Opposition, stopped at the practitioners' appeal site on his way to attend a dinner in the Governor General's office. He shook hands with each practitioner at the site and said, "Keep up all the good work." During the press conference on September 9, the first question that reporters asked was about China's human rights situation, including the persecution of Falun Gong.
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The Canadian mainstream media covered China's human rights issue, including the persecution of Falun Gong with several dozen reports. Media covering Hu's visit and the human rights situation included CBC, CTV, Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Ottawa Citizen, Vancouver Sun, and Montreal Gazette. In addition, international news agencies, such as Canadian Press, AP, Reuters and AFP also covered China's human rights situation and the practitioners' peaceful protest activities many times.
