Situation in Myanmar  What sort of pressure should we put on those countries so that they can bring pressure to bear on Burma?

Situation in Myanmar  In my speech I mentioned some specific action items that I feel the government should take, and I want to ask her to respond to see how the NDP feels about these specific action items: number one, reviewing every aspect of our relationship with Burma, especially the way in which we deliver aid; number two, forcefully raising these issues publicly and privately with military and civilian leaders; number three, prioritizing these discussions in international fora; and number four, reviewing sanctions, and certainly re-imposing sanctions, on those responsible.

Situation in Myanmar  I wonder if she could report specifically about engaging the military leadership as well, because she has talked about its importance. Has she spoken with General Min Aung Hlaing, the commander in chief in Burma? I wonder if she could report some of the context for those discussions in terms of what happened, what was said, and what the response was. I think the House would be very interested in hearing.

Situation in Myanmar  The Prime Minister and I personally conveyed this message in meetings with Aung San Suu Kyi in June 2017 during her official visit to Canada. On September 16, I attended and addressed a rally organized by the Burma Task Force in Toronto. At that rally, I echoed the remarks by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights that the situation in Rakhine State “seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing”, and I condemned that.

Situation in Myanmar  Madam Speaker, Burma has a power-sharing government. There is the military and then there is the democratically elected component. Many people who are following this debate will know the name Aung San Suu Kyi, and I think will recognize the importance of engaging her.

Situation in Myanmar  During testimony at the Subcommittee on International Human Rights last week, the Canadian outreach coordinator of the Burma Task Force Canada told parliamentarians that nearly half of the Rohingya population, over 400,000 people, have been displaced in less than three weeks, and over 200 villages burned. Mr.

Emergency Debate  Therefore, pursuant to Standing Order 52(2), I would like to propose an emergency debate on the situation unfolding in Burma and Canada's response. This issue has been raised regularly by our party in question period for over a year and a half, but the issue has not had a full airing in parliamentary debate.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Many across the world would have expected more from someone of her stature—a Nobel Prize winner and someone who has advocated for democracy in Burma throughout her life. However, this is not the case now. My question is for Mr. Smith and Mr. Ramadan. What explains the deafening silence? Now, where she has spoken about it, her words have not been helpful at all.

Human Rights  I know we have had statements in the House, and I appreciate those statements. However, will this be raised directly with Aung San Suu Kyi and the government of Burma? Will the government direct our embassy to speak out and do clear, public advocacy on the issues facing Rohingya, Kachin, and other minorities in Burma? I believe we need a stronger voice from the Canadian embassy, speaking clearly and publicly on behalf of our values.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Before I address the current situation, I want to point out that I helped rescue boat people in 2006 and 2007. I was at the Thai-Burma border in a town called Mae Sot. I was there for about two years and rescued a lot of boat people who were stranded at the Thai-Burma border and exploited by the Burmese as well as Thai authorities.

Human Rights  Last month, I visit the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, and I had the opportunity to meet with the UNHCR Asia desk, where they briefed me on the situation in Burma. I heard directly from them their concerns about stateless Rohingya and their situation, whether it is inside Myanmar or in Bangladesh. This was important for me to hear on behalf of the Canadian government.

Holidays Act  I have been fortunate to grow up in the shadow of different experiences, in particular, my biological grandfather John Clifford Addison perished in the fall of the Burma campaign on the HMS Scorpion. I do not know much about my grandfather. I have his medals and his war record. I have a photograph of the ship that he served on, but my grandmother remarried Fred Attwood when he came to Canada.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Second of all, as an organization we condemn any use of violence. We believe in their non-violent struggle, and actually, this is why the Burma Task Force takes up their cause, because they are the only non-violent minority that is being persecuted in Burma. This is our stance on the situation. However, there appears now to be an actual group there.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I would really like to thank the subcommittee for inviting us here to share an update on the Rohingya crisis. My name, as you said, is Ahmed Ramadan. I'm the outreach coordinator for the Burma Task Force, which is a main project of the Justice for All Coalition. We are a coalition of organizations with the aim of bringing the persecution of the Rohingya to an end, getting the Rohingya their citizenship back, having them live peacefully in their ancestral lands, and bringing to justice the perpetrators.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I know the current recommendation is the repeal of the section, and I agree that the most difficult part related to this normally is enforcement, particularly for those who reside wherever they reside. If you're blogging about the Canadian election and you're living in Burma, it's hard to actually have any kind of a.... You can say that, yes, they are intending to influence our election, but there's no real practical enforcement mechanism. I'm sensitive to the issues that Blake and others have raised with respect to foreign influences, but in the world of social media, I just don't know how we effectively, other than as it relates to actual resources like monetary, have any kind of regulatory control over this type of activity in this day and age.