Thank you, Madam Chair and honourable members, for the opportunity to speak.
We're here to show how foreign interference is systematically targeting municipal, provincial, private and federal theatres in Canada and to urge this committee and the government to protect our venues and artistic freedom.
For 20 years, the Falun Gong spiritual community in Canada has brought Shen Yun Performing Arts, the renowned classical Chinese dance company, to theatres right across this country. However, the Chinese Communist Party, under Xi Jinping's direct orders, has escalated a global campaign to stop the show through diplomatic pressure, 150 bomb threats worldwide, baseless lawsuits and leaked documents outlining a disinformation campaign using western media and social media against Shen Yun and Falun Gong.
Why would a so-called superpower fear a dance company? It's because Shen Yun celebrates a China before Communism and exposes the Communist Party's 27-year ongoing and horrific human rights crimes against Falun Gong practitioners in China. That's why the Communist Party wants Shen Yun silenced.
In the past two years, Canada has seen over 20 hoax bomb and death threats targeting Shen Yun theatres, Parliament Hill and politicians. This year, Shen Yun has faced booking denials, theatre evacuations and cancellations. For example, on March 15, Mississauga's Living Arts Centre received a bomb threat from China. It threatened to bomb the theatre and Parliament Hill if Shen Yun performed. The theatre was evacuated, and the show was delayed 90 minutes until police determined that the threat was not credible.
Weeks later, Toronto's Four Seasons Centre cancelled six Shen Yun shows after similar threats, which police quickly deemed unfounded. The sender later mocked Canada, saying it cannot be taken seriously, and claimed allegiance to “my motherland's Communist Party”.
In April, not only did Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Theatre receive similar threats, which police traced to China, but Global News reported that the Chinese consulate directly urged civic theatre officials to cancel Shen Yun. This proved that this is a coordinated campaign by the Communist Party here in Canada and not spontaneous acts of harassment.
After hosting Shen Yun for 18 years, Montreal's Place des Arts declined dates for 2026 and 2027.
Here in Ottawa, Shen Yun was not given dates for 2026 and 2027 after performing for 18 years at the National Arts Centre. It's a decision they called private and confidential. This happened after NAC executives met twice with the Chinese ambassador about cultural co-operation. A Crown corporation getting over $60 million a year in taxpayer funding should avoid decisions that serve China's censorship goals.
In each case, the presenter and theatre were left to face national security-level threats alone.