Canada’s Parliament has unanimously passed a motion in the House of Commons advocating for Tibet’s right to self-determination.
The nonbinding motion recognizes Tibetans as “a people and a nation” with the inherent right to determine their own social, economic, cultural and religious policies, including the selection of the next Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.
The measure demonstrates growing international support for Tibetans and their cause as the Chinese government steps up its repressive policies in the western region by eroding Tibetan language, culture and religion.
Sponsored by the bloc Québécois, the motion was introduced by party lawmaker Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe.
“The purpose of the motion was for the House of Commons to recognize that Tibetans are victims of systemic cultural assimilation by China; and to offer unanimous support to the Tibetan people’s efforts and actions towards self-determination,” he said in a written response to Radio Free Asia.
The motion says Tibetans can claim the right to self-determination and freely choose their economic, social, cultural and religious policies without interference from external powers
It also says this empowerment prohibits China from interfering in the selection of the next Dalai Lama, whom Tibetans believe should be determined in accordance with their Buddhist belief in reincarnation.
The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa did not respond to RFA’s request for comment.
‘Not forgotten’
The motion’s passage on Monday follows a series of meetings between Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Namgyal Choedup, the Dalai Lama’s representative for North America, and the Canada Tibet Committee with Bloc Québécois leaders in Montreal, Ottawa, and Washington.
"Canada's unanimous passage of the motion reaffirming Tibetan self-determination sends a strong message to Tibetans in Tibet that their resilience is not forgotten," Tsering posted on his X account.
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Tenzin Lekshey, spokesman for the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala, India, expressed the gratitude of the Tibetan government-in-exile to the Canadian Parliament for supporting the motion.
“This motion holds immense significance for the Tibetan people inside Tibet, addressing key issues such as Tibet’s self-determination, the future reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, Chinese interference, Chinese assimilation policies, and the importance of preserving Tibetan culture,” he said.
The adoption of the motion coincides with Canada Tibet Lobby Days 2024 during which Tibetans from across Canada travel to Ottawa to meet with lawmakers and express their concerns about China’s repression of Tibetans.
In December 2022, Canada’s House of Commons unanimously passed a motion endorsing Tibet’s Middle Way Approach and supporting the resumption of dialogue between Tibetan representatives and the Chinese government.
The approach accepts the formerly independent Himalayan nation’s status as a part of China but urges greater cultural and religious freedoms, including strengthened language rights, guaranteed for ethnic minorities under provisions of China’s constitution.
Additional reporting by Yeshi Dawa and Ugen for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.