SDEV Committee Meeting

The Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Development of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade met at 3:31 p.m. this day, in Room 307 West Block, the Chair, David Kilgour, presiding.

Dr. Sein Win made an opening statement and, with the other witnesses, answered questions.

Roger Clavet moved, — That the Committee is of the opinion that the Government must:

a) condemn more forcefully the repeated and systematic human rights violations committed by the military junta in power in Burma, particularly those involving certain minority groups, including arrests and imprisonment without trial, summary and arbitrary executions, torture, rape, kidnappings of women, men and children, forced labour, denial of fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of assembly, association and expression, the recruitment of child soldiers and massive relocations of civilian populations;

b) urge the authorities in Burma to release immediately and unconditionally all political prisoners, in particular Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD), to end their harassment of them, to abolish all repressive laws and measures contravening international human rights conventions, and to take action to end the appalling humanitarian crisis facing hundreds of thousands of displaced people and refugees at Burma’s borders (with China, India, Bangladesh and Thailand);

c) provide tangible political support to the legitimate authorities in Burma, specifically the government in exile (the National Coalition Government for the Union of Burma) and the Committee Representing the People’s Parliament;

d) impose a comprehensive economic embargo on Burma and, inter alia, place severe penalties on Canadian companies that violate the embargo;

e) bring pressure to bear on the United Nations Secretary General and the international community, in order to establish a framework, primarily though ensuring the spread of the embargo, to bring the military junta to negotiate a peaceful transition toward democracy, in cooperation with the NLD and representatives of ethnic minority groups, as set out in all the resolutions of the United Nations on Burma since 1994;

f) call upon the authorities in Burma to include the National League for Democracy (NLD) and other political parties in the on-going process of the National Convention, and warn that any outcome from the convention without the participation of the NLD and other parties will not be recognized.

Debate arose thereon.

Don Boudria moved, — That the motion be amended in paragraph (d) by deleting all the words after the word “impose” and replace them with the following:

more comprehensive economic measures on Burma, and in particular:

- Review the effectiveness of the Export and Import Permits Act;

- Review the feasibility of fully invoking the Special Economic Measure Act; and

- Impose a legal ban on further investment in Burma.

After debate, the motion, as amended was agreed to and reads as follows:

That the Committee is of the opinion that the Government must:

a) condemn more forcefully the repeated and systematic human rights violations committed by the military junta in power in Burma, particularly those involving certain minority groups, including arrests and imprisonment without trial, summary and arbitrary executions, torture, rape, kidnappings of women, men and children, forced labour, denial of fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of assembly, association and expression, the recruitment of child soldiers and massive relocations of civilian populations;

b) urge the authorities in Burma to release immediately and unconditionally all political prisoners, in particular Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD), to end their harassment of them, to abolish all repressive laws and measures contravening international human rights conventions, and to take action to end the appalling humanitarian crisis facing hundreds of thousands of displaced people and refugees at Burma’s borders (with China, India, Bangladesh and Thailand);

c) provide tangible political support to the legitimate authorities in Burma, specifically the government in exile (the National Coalition Government for the Union of Burma) and the Committee Representing the People’s Parliament;

d) impose more comprehensive economic measures on Burma, and in particular:

- review the effectiveness of the Export and Import Permits Act;

- review the feasibility of fully invoking the Special Economic Measure Act; and

- impose a legal ban on further investment in Burma.

e) bring pressure to bear on the United Nations Secretary General and the international community, in order to establish a framework, primarily though ensuring the spread of the embargo, to bring the military junta to negotiate a peaceful transition toward democracy, in cooperation with the NLD and representatives of ethnic minority groups, as set out in all the resolutions of the United Nations on Burma since 1994;

f) call upon the authorities in Burma to include the National League for Democracy (NLD) and other political parties in the on-going process of the National Convention, and warn that any outcome from the convention without the participation of the NLD and other parties will not be recognized.

At 4:53 p.m., the Subcommittee adjourned to the call of the Chair.