Mr. Speaker, given the government's travel in China right now, it is important to table this petition. It is signed by about 100 members from the communities of Burnaby and Vancouver in the lower mainland of British Columbia.
These petitioners are concerned about the large-scale arrests of Falun Gong adherents in China that started on January 1, 2008. They are concerned about the arrests of two particular Falun Gong practitioners, Su Min Gao and Qian Min Gao, who have been arrested in Guangzhou, China. They are concerned about other practitioners who have been arrested in the province of Guangzhou at the same time.
They are calling on the Canadian government to make a public statement, condemn the government of China for committing these crimes, and urge the Chinese government to end their persecution of Falun Gong and release all Falun Gong practitioners immediately.