Evidence of meeting #75 for Subcommittee on International Human Rights in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was nguyen.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
David Sweet Conservative Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON
Mr. Chair, is there any time left?
Conservative
NDP
Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
I want to welcome our guests here today, because this is a very significant and important topic.
One point I'd like to make to the chair is that we have the option of a report, but we also have the option of a statement. The request we had concerning the list of people who are imprisoned and at risk could possibly be addressed separately, not as part of a report. We could be actionable a little bit sooner, if that's what people would like to do. It's just a thought.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Scott Reid
We've done that before, of course, not with Vietnam but with other countries.
NDP
Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
I think there's a certain level of importance to responding to that as immediately as we can. Sorry to interrupt the actual questioning.
There's a wealth of things to talk about, but one of the things I noticed, and a couple of us did, was that when he showed the pictures of the injured individuals, wasn't one of them a pastor who spoke to this committee once before, Pastor Hung?
Commissioner for Human Rights, Vietnamese Canadian Federation
No, these are different people.
NDP
Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
Oh, it wasn't? Good. Well, that provides a certain sense of relief, because we were wondering.
Commissioner for Human Rights, Vietnamese Canadian Federation
There are so many who have the same bloodied face, I wouldn't blame you for getting them confused.
NDP
Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
The other thing is that several of the comments centred around labour rights. I was a labour leader for 28 years, and I'm pleased to say that within Canada we have the right to express concern. I do think that's a very reasonable vehicle. It was used in South Africa to a great extent too.
Also, you talked about using the TPP and the trade agreements to achieve it. We have agreements with Honduras and Colombia to which there are side agreements concerning human rights and labour laws. Would you not agree that it's crucially important that they be codified in the actual agreement?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Boat People SOS
Yes. This is very important because, first of all, Vietnam now needs the TPP more than Canada or the U.S. needs Vietnam.
Secondly, there ought to be enforceable mechanisms built into the TPP to monitor and also enforce the commitments of Vietnam. We know of many preceding cases in which Vietnam made a promise but didn't keep the promise.
Right now there's an agreement on labour rights in the TPP. That's what we have been told. We haven't been able to read it yet. Who has? However, we have also been told that there's no mechanism for enforcing it or for monitoring Vietnam's compliance with its commitments. That's why we are working very hard right now to build that into the TPP, and I see that as our last chance to really improve the conditions of workers in Vietnam.
NDP
Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
To our guest by video conference, did you have access to your own counsel when you were imprisoned?
Blogger, As an Individual
During all the time I was imprisoned, twice, and was under trial, they imposed a lot of obstacles on me accessing my counsel, my lawyer. Even when the trial was taking place, I could not even access the help of a lawyer.
Conservative
Conservative
Nina Grewal Conservative Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Thank you, witnesses, for your time and your presentations.
Vietnam's government continues to violate a broad range of human rights. There are approximately 220,000 people of Vietnamese heritage in Canada. The Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development reports that Canada and Vietnam maintain good bilateral relations. But these continuing testimonies of Vietnam violating the human rights of its citizens are very startling.
In your opinion, how much of the problem in Vietnam can be attributed to corruption?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Boat People SOS
Corruption is part of the problem, the bigger, major issue facing Vietnam because there's no civil society. There are no watchdog organizations.
As a matter of fact just recently a reporter—actually he's the chief editor of a state-owned magazine—exposed corruption and now is standing trial for disclosing national security information. And he is not the only one. There are many other reporters who have served sentences because they exposed high-level graft in government.
Conservative
Nina Grewal Conservative Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Allegations have been raised that Vietnam restricts and tortures peaceful protesters, as you showed to us in the pictures. Are there particular kinds of protesters that the government targets and is there a reason why the government would target particular protesters?
Commissioner for Human Rights, Vietnamese Canadian Federation
As with many totalitarian dictatorship regimes, they concentrate their energy in mainly targeting the high-profile figureheads and the source of inspiration for the people, because those are the people who are able to get a lot of people to rise up and speak their minds.
However, they don't just target the sources of inspiration but also people who are not in the public eye at all, people who are farmers, people who are in rural areas. The sad thing is that not many people know about them and that's why we're trying to get many people to support not only bloggers and journalists, who perhaps the international community knows more about because they write online and are more accessible to the world, but also those who have very little means of communicating with the outside world.
I hope that answers your question.
Conservative
President and Chief Executive Officer, Boat People SOS
May I answer very quickly?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Boat People SOS
There are three basic freedoms that form the cornerstone of civil society. The Vietnamese government views civil society as a potential threat to its monopoly of power.
The first freedom is freedom of expression. If you can spread the words, if you can share your ideas, that could be infectious. Two is the freedom of peaceful assembly and, three, is the freedom of association, because we come together and become a strength and influence.
Therefore, we have observed people who have tried to exercise those three basic freedoms of theirs who have been tortured and sentenced to death.
Conservative
Nina Grewal Conservative Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Canada is a part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, which also includes Vietnam.
Ms. Nguyen, what would you consider to be an acceptable human rights condition for Canada and Vietnam to agree upon?