13 June 2008
Canadian Parliamentarians write to Hu Jintao about Tibet
(CTC) 102 Canadian Parliamentarians from all parties and both Houses wrote to Chinese President Hu Jintao on 06 June. Writing "in the spirit of friendship and respect", the MPs and senators urged that negotiations with the Dalai Lama "begin in earnest with a firm commitment to reach a settlement within a reasonable timeframe". "In this Olympic year, we urge Hu Jintao to embrace the unifying spirit of the Games by reaching out to Tibetans with an open mind to bring this longstanding dispute to an honourable resolution", said Senator Consiglio Di Nino, Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Tibet. Canada's Parliament has actively taken up the Tibetan issue in recent years. All parties supported motions granting the Dalai Lama honorary citizenship (2006) and a motion calling for an autonomous Tibet within a sovereign China (15 February 2007). In 2007, the Dalai Lama met with the Prime Minister, the Governor General, leaders of the all the opposition parties, and a large number of parliamentarians.