Mr. Speaker, human rights have always been among the foremost priorities of this government. As we have made clear, this government is committed to our values of freedom, democracy, human rights and rule of law, and this is what we have done.
China is no exception. We have concerns about China's human rights and we have made these concerns known. As we have always done, we will continue to work with China toward improvements.
This government has been very active on human rights issues facing Tibetans. We have advocated on their behalf both publicly and privately in conversations with the Chinese government.
The unrest in and around Tibet in March and April of this year was very serious. Peaceful protests and freedom of expression are constitutionally protected rights in Canada. They are also internationally recognized universal human rights.
China's response to the protests, including use of force and detentions, was troubling. Throughout the unrest, the Minister of Foreign Affairs issued three statements expressing Canada's grave concerns. The Prime Minister also issued a statement. Canada made a joint statement with Australia at the United Nations Human Rights Council. We therefore expressed our concerns clearly and publicly on several occasions.
Canada has also made its concerns well known to the Chinese government. In Ottawa, Canadian officials made representations to the Chinese ambassador. In Beijing, Canadian embassy officials called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A Canadian embassy official joined a diplomatic visit to Lhasa and expressed concerns directly to local officials.
Our priority remains the peaceful resolution of differences between China and the Dalai Lama through dialogue. In fact, Canada has pushed for this for a long time, including during the recent unrest, but also since initial talks between the two sides began in 2002. When the Chinese government eventually agreed to engage in contacts with the Dalai Lama's representatives on April 25, the Minister of Foreign Affairs immediately issued a statement welcoming the talks, which took place on May 4.
At this point, we are encouraging both sides to engage in sustained, substantive dialogue in which real progress toward the resolution of differences can be achieved. We are also continuing to press for three key things.
The first is that China permit unrestricted access by media, diplomats and the United Nations to the entire affected area. This means affected regions beyond Lhasa and Tibet. Transparency is essential to verify what actually happened as details remain unclear, particularly given that areas affected by the unrest were also recently affected by the devastating May 12 earthquake. Accurate information and reporting are key to ensuring that human rights are being protected and to help lay the groundwork for a peaceful resolution.
Second, China should release all those detained for protesting peacefully. They should not face repercussions for exercising their basic human rights.
Finally, China must improve its treatment of Tibetans. Their rights to freedom of movement, expression, association and spiritual belief must be respected. China must also protect their right to protest peacefully.
This summer, China hosts the Olympics. Human rights improvements before, during and after the Olympics would send positive signals to the international community. We hope that the opportunities to send such a message will not be lost.