Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Honourable members of the Canadian House of Commons Subcommittee on Human Rights, we are grateful to be here because we want to tell you our story and express our concerns for the Kachin people in the land of Myanmar or Burma. The Jinghpaw people, also known as the Kachin or mountain people, are one of 135 people groups that create a diverse population in the country, which numbers over 55 million.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  We're very glad to hear your perspective on the concerns of Burma. We were having a conversation the other day about the use of Burma versus Myanmar. Why don't you call your organization the Friends of Myanmar?

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Your opening remarks included the following:In his most recent report in March 2012, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, Tomas Quintana, welcomed positive changes in Burma but flagged several other areas still in need of major improvement, including treatment of prisoners, consistency of certain laws and provisions of the constitution with international human rights standards, and reform of the judiciary.

Bill C-398 An Act to amend the Patent Act (drugs for international humanitarian purposes)

SCHEDULE (Section 13) SCHEDULE 2 (Subsections 21.03(2) and (3)) Afghanistan Afghanistan Albania Albanie Angola Angola Antigua and Barbuda Antigua-et-Barbuda Argentina Argentine Armenia Arménie Bahrain, Kingdom of Bahreïn, Royaume de Bangladesh Bangladesh Barbados Barbade Belize Belize Benin Bénin Bhutan Bhoutan Bolivia Bolivie Botswana Botswana Brazil Brésil Brunei Darussalam Brunéi Darussalam Bulgaria Bulgarie Burkina Faso Burkina Faso Burundi Burundi Cambodia Cambodge Cameroon Cameroun Cape Verde Cap-Vert Central African Republic République centrafricaine Chad Tchad Chile Chili China Chine Chinese Taipei Taipei chinois Colombia Colombie Comoros Comores Congo Congo Costa Rica Costa Rica Côte d’Ivoire Côte d’Ivoire Croatia Croatie Cuba Cuba Cyprus Chypre Czech Republic République tchèque Democratic Republic of the Congo République démocratique du Congo Djibouti Djibouti Dominica Dominique Dominican Republic République dominicaine Ecuador Équateur Egypt Égypte El Salvador El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Guinée équatoriale Eritrea Érythrée Estonia Estonie Ethiopia Éthiopie Fiji Fidji Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Ex-République yougoslave de Macédoine Gabon Gabon Gambia Gambie Georgia Géorgie Ghana Ghana Grenada Grenade Guatemala Guatemala Guinea Guinée Guinea-Bissau Guinée-Bissau Guyana Guyana Haiti Haïti Honduras Honduras Hong Kong, China Hong Kong, Chine Hungary Hongrie India Inde Indonesia Indonésie Israel Israël Jamaica Jamaïque Jordan Jordanie Kenya Kenya Kiribati Kiribati Korea Corée Kuwait Koweït Kyrgyz Republic République kirghize Lao People’s Democratic Republic République démocratique populaire lao Latvia Lettonie Lesotho Lesotho Liberia Libéria Liechtenstein Liechtenstein Lithuania Lituanie Macao, China Macao, Chine Madagascar Madagascar Malawi Malawi Malaysia Malaisie Maldives Maldives Mali Mali Malta Malte Mauritania Mauritanie Mauritius Maurice Mexico Mexique Moldova Moldova Mongolia Mongolie Morocco Maroc Mozambique Mozambique Myanmar Myanmar Namibia Namibie Nepal Népal Nicaragua Nicaragua Niger Niger Nigeria Nigéria Oman Oman Pakistan Pakistan Panama Panama Papua New Guinea Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée Paraguay Paraguay Peru Pérou Philippines Philippines Poland Pologne Qatar Qatar Romania Roumanie Rwanda Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint-Kitts-et-Nevis Saint Lucia Sainte-Lucie Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint-Vincent-et-les-Grenadines Samoa Samoa Sao Tome and Principe Sao Tomé-et-Principe Senegal Sénégal Sierra Leone Sierra Leone Singapore Singapour Slovak Republic République slovaque Slovenia Slovénie Solomon Islands Îles Salomon Somalia Somalie South Africa Afrique du Sud Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Sudan Soudan Suriname Suriname Swaziland Swaziland Thailand Thaïlande Timor-Leste Timor-Leste Togo Togo Trinidad and Tobago Trinité-et-Tobago Tunisia Tunisie Turkey Turquie Tuvalu Tuvalu Uganda Ouganda United Arab Emirates Émirats arabes unis United Republic of Tanzania République-Unie de Tanzanie Uruguay Uruguay Vanuatu Vanuatu Venezuela Venezuela Yemen Yémen Zambia Zambie Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Published under authority of the Speaker of the House of CommonsAvailable from:Publishing and Depository ServicesPublic Works and Government Services Canada

Bill S-208 An Act to amend the Patent Act and the Food and Drugs Act (drugs for international humanitarian purposes)

S-208 First Session, Forty-first Parliament, 60 Elizabeth II, 2011-2012 SENATE OF CANADA BILL S-208 An Act to amend the Patent Act and the Food and Drugs Act (drugs for international humanitarian purposes) first reading, January 31, 2012 THE HONOURABLE SENATOR JAFFER 11132 SUMMARY This enactment amends the Patent Act and the Food and Drugs Act to facilitate the manufacture and export of pharmaceutical products to address public health problems afflicting many developing and least-developed countries, especially those resulting from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other epidemics.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  In this case, because we have heard such troubling testimony about Kachin state, and now Arakan state, and the Rohingya, and since the Union of Myanmar has a full ambassador here, I think we should call the ambassador to answer to some of these very serious claims. We're talking about ethnic cleansing here. Have them come to the committee.

International Trade committee  One of the limiting factors for continued growth in the Japanese market is current import tariffs applied to honey from Canada. Countries such as Myanmar and Mexico—who have an FTA agreement with Japan—can export to Japan with 0% taxation, as long as they remain under the Japanese government's imposed quota limits. Countries such as China, Argentina, and Canada are subjected to a 25.5% tariff on all honey exported to Japan and have no quota limits.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  How do we bring about the democracy that I believe Aung San Suu Kyi wants to bring about and the rest of the world wants to have? The problem you have is that you have two very large countries. China has made Myanmar its puppet. China controls almost 75% of the natural resources and the ownership of the dams—everything. They own it all. Right now there's an uprising going on even at this very hour concerning electricity, because for the dams that are being built, over 95% of the power is going back to China.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  So there has been a lot of anti-Rohingya propaganda. I know the state newspaper, the New Light of Myanmar used to run op-eds that the Rohingyas are invaders and they're not citizens. When you're in Rangoon reading that and you've never seen these people, or interacted with them, or know any factual history....

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I will follow up on my colleague's comments on the accountability process. In the report of the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, they stress the need for an effective and independent domestic accountability process for gross or systematic human rights violations. In your view, what would this domestic accountability process look like in Burma?

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Ivanhoe is working together with the Burmese government in a joint venture. You will know that Myanmar Ivanhoe Copper corporation is on the targeted sanctions list made by the United States government. For me, this is clear that this company is not doing...ethically in Burma. Also, working together with the Burmese military junta, it is helping the Burmese regime to grow richer and richer.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  The dangerous knock-on effect of language of a two-tier refugee or a bogus refugee.... Let me use the example of Thailand. Thailand has about 150,000 refugees from Myanmar in camps along the border, but an estimated one million individuals who have fled refugee-like situations within Thailand are not allowed into those camps. The Royal Thai government officially says these are not refugees; they're economic migrants.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  There are no alternatives, and there are no refugee camps. The refugee camps in Thailand, for example, are only for the claimants from Myanmar or Burma. They are not for other claimants. They do not have good options. It's important to understand that.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I ask this question in an overall positive nature, in the spirit of what I think everybody feels about what's happening in Burma or Myanmar.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), we are studying the human rights situation in Burma, or Myanmar. We have with us today witnesses from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, specifically Greg Giokas and Lisa Rice Madan, who are both from the Southeast Asia and Oceania Relations Division.