En anglais
Canadians and Hong Kongers united behind « Canadian Five demands »
VANCOUVER, BC (January 21, 2020) – Ottawa’s inaction over Beijing’s gross violation of human rights has driven Hong Kong Canadians into a grassroots, youth-led, community-based alliance, forging as a unified voice of the Hong Kong Canadian community.
Alliance Canada Hong Kong (ACHK) fills an important gap in the Canadian society. Under the current federal leadership, Canada has turned a blind eye and continues to ignore Beijing’s human rights violations, to advance economic and trade relations with China. ACHK condemns the Government of Canada’s bystander position in the face of state-sanctioned genocide and humanitarian crisis.
“Hong Kong is standing alone on the frontline against the tyranny of the Chinese Communist Party,” said Davin Wong, Former President of Hong Kong University Student Union and ACHK’s Director of Youth Engagement and Policy Initiatives. “The Government of Canada must stand up against Beijing’s overreach, which is even happening here on Canadian soil.”
ACHK demands immediate action from the Canadian Government.
To determine community sentiments, ACHK, along with Citizens’ Press Conference (CPC) — a Hong Kong-based media organization — conducted a community consultation survey to inform ACHK’s national advocacy direction and political campaign. The survey was targeted to Canadians and Hong Kongers, and over 13,000 individuals participated; Canadian respondents are hailed from all regions of Canada.
Survey results indicate strong support for invoking Magnitsky sanctions and supporting Hong Kongers who are seeking asylum in Canada. Canadian participants highlighted the need to examine foreign interference by the Chinese Communist Party in Canadian’s private and public institutions.
“As a progressive, my peers argue that human rights are not a partisan issue. Yet I am deeply disappointed by the silence of the progressive community on the issues of China’s authoritarian ambitions and blatant violation of human rights,” said Cherie Wong, Executive Director for ACHK. “I am calling on the progressive leadership in Canada, why do you remain silent and complicit in the face of Beijing’s violent oppression?”
ACHK and the Canada-Hong Kong community urge the Government of Canada to support the following “Canadian Five Demands”:
1) Hold officials accountable for human rights atrocities, police brutality, and erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy by banning, sanctioning, and freezing the assets of Chinese Communist Party officials, Hong Kong Government officials, and the Hong Kong Police Force officials, as per the Justice for the Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law) (S.C. 2017, c. 21);
2) Provide humanitarian support for Hong Kongers, Tibetans, Uyghurs, Chinese, and other groups seeking asylum from the Chinese Communist Party;
3) Protect Canadians’ fundamental freedom from erosion, and proactively combat Chinese Communist Party interference in Canadian society;
4) Investigate and combat foreign interference into Canadian institutions, including state-funded and/or affiliated Chinese Students and Scholars Associations, Confucius Institutes, and other state-sponsored political, cultural and private events, trips, expenses, and gifts, through a national registry of foreign agents and national foreign influence transparency legislation;
5) End all exports of military/police goods and technology to China that are used for human rights violations by the Chinese Communist Party.
ACHK welcomes Canadians to join its campaign here to encourage Canadian politicians to support these five demands.
—- ACHK supports and welcomes Taiwanese, Tibetan, Uyghur, Chinese, and other communities who are suffering from persecution by the Chinese Communist Party. ACHK stands in solidarity with Indigenous and marginalized communities both within Canada and abroad. alliancecanadahk.com | info@alliancecanadahk.com