Premier McGuinty: Stand up for Tibet!

Ontario's Premier Dalton McGuinty is currently on a trade mission in China. Before leaving, he ignored requests for a meeting with representatives of the Tibetan community in Toronto in order to discuss how he could raise the issue of Tibet with his Chinese counterparts. While Tibetans continue to live under a military lockdown, this is no time for business as usual with China. Please sign the petition below calling on Premier McGuinty to stand for Tibet at this critical time.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Premier McGuinty: Stand up for Tibet!

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

As your constituents, we are very concerned about your trip to China at a time when Tibet is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises the world has ever seen. The situation inside of Tibet is critical and we call on the Ontario government to use every opportunity to pressure the Chinese government to stop the gross human rights violations there. Tibetans continue to live in a state of fear; thousands of people remain missing or imprisoned, while harsher restrictions have been imposed in monasteries and nunneries.

As the Premier of Ontario, you represent one of the largest Tibetan exile populations in the world and many of the over 5,000 Tibetans who call Ontario home have relatives living in Tibet.

Therefore, we the undersigned urge you to take the following actions:

1). Raise the human rights situation inside Tibet with your counterparts in China and publicly express your grave concern for the well being of the Tibetan people at this time.

2). Meet with representatives of the Tibetan community upon your return from China to discuss how you can work multilaterally with your colleagues across Canada to hold the Chinese government accountable for its widespread human rights violations in Tibet.

3). Publicly call on Canadian corporations to immediately withdraw and refrain from any activity inside Tibet, in particular Canadian mining companies, including Ontario based Inter-Citic Minerals Inc and GobiMin Inc.

Signed by:

Campaign Launched:
November 06, 2008


Background Information

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is leading a trade mission to China from October 26-31, 2008. Immediately following the trade mission, he will take part in the Canada China Business Council's 30th anniversary events in China from November 1-5, 2008.

Click http://www.ccbc.com/home/details.php?Id=808&Cat=Events&Subcat=Future to learn more about the visit.

Students for a Free Tibet Canada faxed a letter on October 15 to Premier McGuinty's office requesting a meeting with him before his departure to China. While we received responses from nearly all the Premier's offices in Canada (including British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Nunavut), we still have not received a response from Premier McGuinty's office.

We faxed a second letter to the Premier's office on October 21 highlighting the urgency of this matter to the Tibetan community of Ontario. In the letter we requested him to take three key actions in the lead up to his trip.

The second letter can be viewed here: http://sftcanada.org/premier_letter.pdf

When we still did not receive a response, SFT organized a protest at Queen's Park on October 23 where Tibetan-Canadians attempted to hand deliver the letter to McGuinty. Cheri DiNovo, MPP for Parkdale and Randy Hillier, MPP of Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington, spoke out in support of Tibet and during question period, DiNovo asked if the Premier would be willing to raise the issue of human rights, address the situation inside Tibet and live up to the motion passed by the parliament on April 10, on his visit to China. Deputy Premier Smitherman did not directly answer the question.

View the press release from the protest at Queen's Park here: http://sftcanada.org/mcguintyoct24pressrelease-1.pdf

The Province of Ontario holds an important role in shaping Canada's trade relations with China because only Ontario has two trade offices in China and hence has direct relations with the Chinese government.

Media coverage on April 10th motion by the Ontario Legislative Assembly:

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20080410/ontario_trade_mission_080410/20080410/?site_codename=toronto

http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/413388

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/04/10/ont-china.html

Help put pressure on Premier McGuinty to meet with Tibetan representatives upon his return from China. Download the online petition here: http://sftcanada.org/mcguintypetition.pdf