Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I want to commend you both for being here today. I know it's not easy to have to relive those experiences.
Particularly in your case, Mingli Lin, it's not easy to have to relive the torture that you endured in prison.
You know, I've always felt that the Falun Gong values of truth, compassion, and tolerance were the kinds of values that exemplified the best of Chinese civilization, and that therefore the Falun Gong should be rewarded for being exemplary Chinese citizens rather than being punished, imprisoned, and tortured, as they have.
I want to take this opportunity, Mr. Chairman, to commend you for your long-time involvement in representations on behalf of the Falun Gong.
And sitting here is Mr. David Kilgour, who's been so steadfast all these years, both while he was in government and, maybe even more importantly, since he's been out of Parliament and government.
I want to say to you, Shenli Lin, that it was really the heroic involvement of your wife, Jinyu Li, whom I first met back in 2001....
I sometimes feel it's the wiser spouses who end up being the reason that prisoners are released.
I think you know, but I just want to reiterate, how her efforts were so singularly important in bringing about your release.
I have two questions. The first has to do with the fact that Canadian governments have tended to raise issues of human rights in China generally, and that of the Falun Gong—in particular the political prisoners who are Falun Gong—more privately than publicly in their relations with the Chinese government. That's not true for us as parliamentarians. We've raised the issues publicly. But the governments have tended to raise them privately.
Do you think this is the best mix—namely, the governments doing this privately and the parliamentarians publicly—or do you feel that governments should be more public in their representations to the Chinese authorities?