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Action Alert: Call on Canada to Support ‘Commission of Inquiry’ on Burma

Action Alert: Call on Canada to Support ‘Commission of Inquiry’ on Burma
Canadian Friends of Burma - August 24, 2010

Dear Burma supporters:

As of today, we’ve obtained the support of 80 Canadian parliamentarians on an UN Commission of Inquiry on human rights situation in Burma. This is an unprecedented level of support from Canadian parliamentarians and is far greater than any petitions on Burma in the past. 

The significance of this call is that two Canadian political leaders - NDP leader Jack Layton and Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe – are on the petition and that the petition already secured cross-party support including Peter Kent, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Americas) and a number of Conservative MPs and Senators. Please see the list at http://www.cfob.org/news/PFOBandCFOBurgeGovToSupportCoIonBurma.html

However, Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon who is supposed to make the decision on the issue is still quiet and his office even did not respond to media inquiry even though an earlier indication of issuing a possible statement on the issue.

The international call upon Canada to support the Commission of Inquiry on Burma is also getting louder. Burma Campaign UK and US Campaign for Burma recently added their voice in calling on Canada to support it, as their own governments - UK and US - already supported publically, along with Australian, Czech Republic and Slovakia.
In Europe, Burma Campaign UK and other concerned groups are planning to gather at Canadian Embassies on August 25 to repeat their call heard from Ottawa. Thousands of online petitions have been sent to the Minister Office and Ambassadors in respective countries.

It is quite uncomfortable to see Canada is lagging behind and dragging its feet on this issue despite the fact that it has the position to play a leading role at the outset of this initiative. The Foreign Minister is always proud of saying that “Canada is a champion of freedoms, democracy and human rights,” which are the “pillars of Canadian foreign policy.”

We need to ask him to put it into action!
Please send an email message to the Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon (Cannon.L@parl.gc.ca) and cce’d to Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Harper.S@parl.gc.ca), or call directly to his office (613-995-1851).

Please also urge your MPs and Senators to add into the list of parliamentary support on this inquiry. Just ask them to contact us to update the list.

-Canadian Friends of Burma
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