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Government of Canada is urged to support “Commission of Inquiry” on Burma

By Parliamentary Friends of Burma, Canadian Friends of Burma  •  June 25, 2010

While leaders of G20 are meeting in Toronto, Parliamentary Friends of Burma (PFOB) and Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB) are calling upon the Government of Canada and other world leaders to support an establishment of an UN’s “Commission of Inquiry” on “crimes against humanity” in Burma.

“For years, Burma’s military regime has committed grave human rights abuses that rise to the level of crimes against humanity,” said Honorable Larry Bagnell, chair of Parliamentary Friends of Burma (PFOB).

“The regime has destroyed 3000 ethnic minority villages, recruited thousands of child soldiers, used rape as a weapon of war, pressed millions of Burmese into forced labor, and forced at least 1.5 million people to flee as refugees and internally displaced persons,” Mr. Bagnell added.

More than 70 Canadian MPs and Senators (list provided below) have already thrown their support for the formation of the Commission and also called on the government to support it.

The call for “Commission of Inquiry” on Burma is getting momentum in international community with the support of government s from Australian, the United Kingdom, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

“Being the host of G20 and G8 Summits, the Government of Canada should seize the opportunity to discuss the political and human rights situation in Burma, and ask its counterparts on the possibility of forming the Commission,’ said Tin Maung Htoo, executive director of Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB).

Meanwhile, Burmese activists and Burma supporters are planning to join G20 protests on June 26 Saturday afternoon at the Ontario Legislative Assembly (Queen’s Park) in Toronto.

Media contact: 613-297-6835

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Canadian Parliamentarians supporting for Commission of Inquiry on Burma

1. Alan Tonks, York South – Weston
2. Alexandra Mendés, Brossard-La Prairie
3. Bernard Bigras, Rosemont-La petite-Patrie
4. Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Etobicoke Centre
5. Brad Trost, Saskatoon-Humboldt
6. Brian Masse, Windsor West
7. Brian Murphy, Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe
8. Bruce Hyer, Thunder Bay – Superior North
9. Bruce Stanton, Simcoe North
10. Carole Lavalée, St.Bruno-St.Hubert
11. Christiane Gagnon, Députée de Québec
12. Claude Bachand, Saint-Jean
13. Derek Lee, Scarborough – Rouge River
14. Diane Bourgeois, Terrebonne – Blainville
15. Francine Lalonde, La Pointe-de-l’Île/Foreign Affairs Critic (Bloc  Québécois)
16. Frank Valeriote, Guelph
17. Garry Breitkreuz, Yorkton-Melville
18. Gérard Asselin, Manicouagan
19. Gilles Duceppe, Leader of Bloc Québécois
20. Hon. Anita Neville, Winnipeg South Centre
21. Hon. Bob Rae, Toronto Centre/Foreign Affairs Critic (Liberal Party)
22. Hon. Carloyn Bennett, St.Paul’s
23. Hon. Geoff Regan, Halifax West
24. Hon. Hedy Fry, Vancouver Centre
25. Hon. Irwin Cotler, Mount Royal
26. Hon. John McKay, Scarborough-Guildwood
27. Hon. Larry Bagnell, Yukon/Chair of PFOB
28. Hon. Maria Minna, Beaches – East York
29. Hon. Marlene Jennings, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce – Lachine
30. Hon. Peter Kent, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Americas)
31. Hon. Shawn Murphy, Charlottetown
32. Hon. Wayne Easter, Malapeque
33. Irene Mathyssen, London-Fanshawe
34. Jack Harris, St. John’s East
35. Jack Layton, Toronto-Danforth/Leader of NDP
36. James Bezan, Selkirk-Interlake
37. Jean Crowder, Nanaimo – Cowichan
38. Jean Dorion, Longueuil-Pierre-Boucher
39. Jean-Yves Laforest, Saint-Maurice-Champlain
40. Josée Beaudin, Saint-Lambert
41. Judy Foote, Random – Burin – St. George’s
42. Judy Wasylycia-Leis, Winnipeg North
43. Kevin Sorenson, Crowfoot/Chair – Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs
44. Libby Davies, Vancouver East
45. Louis Plamondon, Bas-Richelieu-Nicolet-Bécancour
46. Malcolm Allen, Welland
47. Mario Silva, Davenport
48. Meili Faille, Vaudreuil-Soulanges
49. Olivia Chow, Trinity-Spadina
50. Paul Dewar, Ottawa Centre/Foreign Affairs Critic (NDP)/Vice-chair(PFOB)
51. Peter Julian, Burnaby-New Westminster
52. Peter Stoffer, Sackville-Eastern Shore
53. Pierre Paquette, Joliette
54. Rob Oliphant, Don Valley West
55. Roger Pomerleau, Drummond
56. Senator Consiglio Di Nino, Vice-chair (PFOB)
57. Senator Dan Lang
58. Senator David Smith
59. Senator Joan Cook
60. Senator Lorna Milne
61. Senator Lucie Pépin
62. Senator Michel Rivard
63. Senator Mobina Jaffer
64. Senator Nancy Ruth
65. Senator Percy E. Downe
66. Senator Raynell Andreychuk
67. Senator Tommy Banks
68. Stephen Woodworth, Kitchener Centre
69. Sukh Dhaliwal, Newton -North Delta
70. Thierry St.Cyr, Jeanne – Le Ber
71. Yves Lessard, Chambly-Borduas
72. Yvon Lévesque, Abitibi – Baie-James – Nunavik – Eeyou
73. John Rafferty, Thunder Bay

Tags: Canada, Canadian Friends of Burma, Commission of Inquiry, Crimes against humanity, Parliamentary Friends of Burma

This post is in: Press Release

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