The Right Hon. Jean Joseph Jacques Chretien
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario KIA 0A6

Dear Mr Chretien

Re: APEC Conference/China Visit
Suppression of Religious Practices

In as much as you will be leading the Canadian Delegation to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Conference, in Bangkok and subsequently visiting China, I wish to raise the issue of the persecution of religious minorities in China. Thousands of practitioners of Falun Gong, Christianity and other religious minorities suffer imprisonment and torture under this oppressive regime.

Mr. Yingyi Chen of Nanaimo, one of my constituents has endured great stress over the status of his mother, a Falun Gong practitioner who wishes to immigrate to Canada. Mr. Chen's sister, Chen Yinghua was imprisoned and on a hunger strike for an extended period. Force feeding through a gastric tube resulted in internal damage. Although she and several others have just been released on the eve of the conference, I urge you to persist in raising concerns for the thousands who continue in prison and in persecution.
Please use your meetings with China's leaders to express Canada's concern, alarm and repugnance of these practices.

I especially draw attention to your meeting with past President Mr. Jiang Zemin, now chairman of the Central Military Commission who appears to be the architect and proponent of these repressive practices. I urge you to instruct Foreign Minister Bill Graham and International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew to raise these issues with their respective counterparts. I am sure Canadians will join the persecuted Chinese in appreciating every effort.