Wednesday December 2, 2009
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The Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) extends its best wishes to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the official Canadian delegation for a successful summit on this first bilateral visit to China.
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. The Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) extends its best wishes to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the official Canadian delegation for a successful summit on this first bilateral visit to China.
CCNC has taken positions on a few international matters, specifically: advocating for consular access for Mr. Huseyin Celil who is a Canadian imprisoned in China, urging Canada to offer to broker a just and lasting peace in Tibet and providing national leadership in the community response to the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. “We are encouraged by the actions of the Prime Minister to include the voices of the Chinese Canadian community in this first bilateral visit to China and we hope that the Prime Minister will adopt a balanced and holistic approach as he continues to foster Canada-China relations,” Colleen Hua, CCNC National President said today. “This balanced approach must include discussing business and trade arrangements that will be beneficial to both countries while at the same time working together towards a new international environmental accord and conveying a principled stand on human rights policies”.
“Canada and China has a long-lasting friendship built by previous generations and this can be strengthened through mutual respect and meaningful dialogue.”
Two Chinese Canadian Members of Parliament: Alice Wong (MP, Richmond) and Hon Michael Chong (MP, Wellington—Halton Hills) and six Chinese Canadians community members will accompany the Prime Minister as members of the official Canadian delegation on this trip:
- Alice Choy (Montreal) – CCNC National Director
- Philip Leong, (Toronto) - Philanthropist and Vice-President RBC Securities
- Victor Oh, (Mississauga) - Past-President, Mississauga Chinese Business Association
- Hon. Philip Lee, (Winnipeg) - Lt Governor of Manitoba
- Tung Chan, (Vancouver) - CEO of SUCCESS
- Jack Lee, (Vancouver) - Founder of T&T Supermarkets
“The inclusion of community leaders will add tremendous value to the official Canadian delegation due to their collective knowledge of the experiences of the Chinese Canadian community.” Sid Chow Tan, CCNC National Chairperson added.
Canada has a proven positive record in China. “During the Second World War, a total of 557 Canadian soldiers gave their lives defending Hong Kong,” Victor Wong, CCNC Executive Director said today. “In the early 1960’s, Canada stepped forward to sell wheat to China, sometimes with generous credit arrangements.”
The Chinese Canadian community can trace a continuous community back to 1858. The early generations endured hardships due to racism and overtly racist legislation but the community survived and endured. Today, some 1.5 million Chinese Canadians call Canada home, and China remains the largest source country for immigration – with some 300,000 newcomers arriving over the past 10 years. Meanwhile, China has become Canada’s #2 trading partner and increasing numbers of Chinese nationals are studying or working or visiting Canada every year.
Founded in 1980, CCNC is a national non-profit organization with 27 chapters across Canada and a community leader for Chinese Canadians in promoting a more just, respectful, and inclusive society. CCNC and allies are one of the co-recipients of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation’s 2008 Award of Excellence for its work on the Chinese Head Tax redress campaign.
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For more information or media interviews, please contact:
Victor Wong, Executive Director (416) 977-9871; national@ccnc.ca (Toronto)
For Background - Three previous news releases:
From Government of Canada:
Government of Canada Helps Victims of China Earthquake and Burma Cyclone
August 14, 2008
Toronto – The Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, announced today that Canada has matched nearly $30 million in private donations to assist victims of the earthquake that struck Sichuan, China in May, and over $11.6 million for people affected by Cyclone Nargis in Burma. These matching funds will be channeled to humanitarian organizations to directly help the people in greatest need.
“Thousands of Canadians have donated generously to help relieve the suffering of those affected by the earthquake in Sichuan Province, China, and by the cyclone that devastated Burma, ” said Minister Oda. "The Government of Canada is proud to match, dollar for dollar, the donations of these Canadians so that the men, women and children affected by these terrible tragedies can receive the life-saving food, water, shelter and medical attention that they need. Canada's assistance is delivering real results on the ground, where they are needed most."
The Sichuan earthquake in May killed nearly 70,000 people, while 18,000 are still missing. Canadians responded by donating nearly $30 million to several non-profit organizations, including Chinese-Canadian organizations.
"We extend a heartfelt thanks to the Canadian Government for matching individual donations for from Canadians who responded generously to the numerous fundraising events organized by local committees and charities across Canada," stated Victor Wong, Executive Director of the Chinese Canadian National Council.
"When the earthquake struck Sichuan," said Dr. Longhuan Kim, the co-Chairman of the National Congress of Chinese Canadians, "the response by Chinese Canadians was almost overwhelming. We quickly set in place a special fund, donations poured in, and this allowed us to get assistance to the victims quickly. The matching fund added an additional incentive for people to donate."
Through the Sichuan Earthquake Relief Fund, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is contributing to 10 projects that deliver timely and effective humanitarian assistance in China.
“We would like to thank the Government of Canada for their generous contribution to the Red Cross earthquake response in China,” said Conrad Sauvé, Secretary General of the Canadian Red Cross. “Thanks to the generosity of Canadians, the Red Cross has been able to reach over one million survivors with urgently needed relief supplies.”
The Burma cyclone in May left nearly 140,000 dead or missing. The humanitarian response by Canadians was immediate, and several organizations raised funds to help the people of Burma.
“We are very pleased with Canada’s quick response to the cyclone victims in Burma,” said Tin Maung Htoo, Executive Director of Canadian Friends of Burma.
CIDA has ensured that all humanitarian assistance will reach only the people of Burma, and not the Government of Burma. Through the Burma Cyclone Relief Fund, CIDA is contributing to 10 projects to help those recovering from Cyclone Nargis.
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Information:
Joanna Bailey
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of International Cooperation
819-953-6238
Media Relations Office
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Telephone: 819-953-6534
E-mail: media@acdi-cida.gc.ca
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from CCNC:
March 19, 2008
CCNC Urges Canadian Government to Broker Peace in Tibet
TORONTO. The Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) today called on the Canadian Government to intervene in the situation in Tibet and to offer concrete assistance to all parties involved in achieving a true and lasting peace in Tibet. The daily protests in Tibet which began on March 10th have unfortunately become violent and the Chinese Government has responded by deploying their military and security forces. While the lack of independent news reporting from Tibet creates its own challenges, it is clear that a number of people have died or have been injured, that many people have been arrested and that there is significant property damage in and beyond Lhasa. The international community including Canada has called for restraint on both sides, respect for human rights and for both sides to negotiate a resolution to the conflict.
“As Canadians, we are concerned over the escalating situation in Tibet and we note that Canada has had a proud history of resolving international conflicts,” Colleen Hua, CCNC National President said today. “The Canadian Government should step up and offer to be a broker of peace.”
“Canada should first develop a full understanding of the issues involved and then make a concrete offer to bring all parties together to negotiate a true and lasting peace in Tibet,” Colleen Hua added.
In 2007, CCNC sponsored the Tibetan Chinese Youth Dialogue Project in 2007. This project which involved youth from the Tibetan and Chinese communities serves as a model for reconciliation. “This issue affects the relationship between the Chinese and Tibetan communities living in Canada including many Chinese nationals (students and workers) and there are many ethnic Tibetans residing here as well,” Victor Wong, CCNC Executive Director added. “We urge members of both communities to engage in respectful dialogue, to gather information from diverse news sources, and to listen to different viewpoints.”
CCNC is a community leader for Chinese Canadians in promoting a more just, respectful, and inclusive society. CCNC is a national non-profit organization with 27 chapters across Canada with a mandate to promote the equality rights and full participation of our community members in all aspects of Canadian society.
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For more information, please contact Victor Wong (416) 977-9871.
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from CCNC:
November 17, 2006
CCNC Urges PM Harper: Raise The Case of Huseyin Celil
TORONTO. The Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) today urged Prime Minister Stephen Harper to raise the case of Huseyin Celil, when he meets with Chinese President Hu Juntao at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation conference in Vietnam this weekend.
Mr. Celil of Burlington, Ontario, is a Canadian being held in a Chinese prison for allegedly having links to Muslim separatist extremist groups in China's far-western Xinjiang province. Mr. Celil, a Uighur and a Muslim, was born in Xinjiang, and became a Canadian citizen last year. Since his arrest, he has been denied Canadian consular services because China does not recognize his Canadian citizenship.
CCNC asserts that the plight of Huseyin Celil has far-reaching implications for naturalized Canadians of Chinese origin who travel to China or to surrounding nations in the future where they may face the threat of arrest, imprisonment or deportation to China and no access to consular services.
"All Canadians should be able to rely on the security and supports that having Canadian citizenship brings when we travel to other countries," Colleen Hua, CCNC National President said today. "Our community members, and specifically naturalized Canadians of Chinese origin, should be able to count on the support of their Government if needed."
"At every other level, naturalized Canadians have the same rights and responsibilities as those who are born in Canada, why not when they are traveling?"
"Canadians recognize that human rights values are universal," Victor Wong, CCNC Executive Director added. "Trade is a 2-way street, there will always be trade; but the Government has an obligation to protect the rights of its citizens."
CCNC is a national non-profit organization with 27 chapters across Canada with a mandate to promote the equality rights and full participation of our community members in all aspects of Canadian society.
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For more information, please contact Victor Wong at (416) 977-9871.
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- CCNC
