Mr. Speaker, Burma, also known as Myanmar, is a small country nestled among Thailand, China and India. It is ruled by one of the most brutal military juntas in the world, with forced labour, sexual violence, child soldiering and numerous political imprisonments, including its own democratically elected leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Chee. Burma is one of the leading heroin suppliers to Canada and faces constant environmental degradation.
In September of this year, the United Nations finally put the crisis in Burma on its agenda. It is essential that Canada play a leading role in taking action against this brutal military regime.
I am proud to announce that we have created the group, Parliamentary Friends of Burma, and will be holding our first meeting on Monday, December 4. We will ensure the importance of keeping the pressure on the international community.
To date we have 10 MPs and senators signed up, and I would like to see many more. I encourage all members to join Parliamentary Friends of Burma and their government in exile.