Canadian politicians pledge support for Dalai Lama
Fri Apr 18, 1:16 PM
VANCOUVER (CBC) – A group of Canadian parliamentarians met with the Dalai Lama in Michigan on Friday as the federal government distanced itself from anti-Chinese comments made by an outspoken Calgary Conservative MP making the trip.
Rob Anders and other members of Parliamentary Friends of Tibet expressed their support for Tibet’s spiritual leader in a 45-minute private session in Ann Arbor, where the Dalai Lama is speaking as part of a book tour.
The Dalai Lama, who has said he will resign if violence in his homeland persists, told reporters after the meeting that human rights and freedom of expression are vital not only in Tibet, but in China as well.
He said the Canadians’ words of support were appreciated.
“We are passing through a very, very difficult period,” he said. “They bring us their inspiration, new freshness and new hope.”
MP called Beijing Games ‘propaganda exercise’
Anders, a longtime pro-Tibet activist, said Thursday that “China is the worst human rights abuser in the world.”
“It’s not just against Tibetans, it’s against their own people, their own population,” Anders told the CBC Radio morning show The Calgary Eyeopener.
He also called the 2008 Beijing Olympics a “propaganda exercise” comparable to the 1936 Berlin Games and suggested Tibetans are ready to start an “insurrection” during the Games.
Anders also said no Canadian politician should attend the Games, but he stopped short of calling for a full-on Canadian boycott.
Conservative MP Deepak Obhrai, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs, told the House of Commons on Friday that “Canada has no plans to boycott the Beijing Olympics” but will continue to raise the issue of human rights with China.
“The comments made by the member for Calgary West are his own views and do not reflect the views of the government of Canada,” Obhrai said during question period.
Comments send wrong message: Rae
The Liberals say the remarks are another example of government blunders on the international stage, including Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier’s recent suggestion Afghanistan’s government should replace the governor of Kandahar, who has faced allegations of corruption.
Bernier later clarified his remarks, saying he was trying to reflect the UN’s concerns about corruption.
Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae said Friday that Anders’s remarks send the wrong message and will damage already-strained relations with China.
“This government’s gaffes keep growing by the hour,” said Rae.
“The Conservatives seem determined to not only diminish Canada’s reputation in the eyes of the world but also to do serious damage to some of our key international relationships.”
Anders was the only MP to oppose Parliament’s move in 2001 to grant former South African president Nelson Mandela an honorary Canadian citizenship, calling him a former “communist and a terrorist.”
With files from the Canadian Press
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/canada_anders_china
