Tibetian Freedom Essay
Written March 2004.
This was my entry for a Youth Essay Competition held by Rights & Democracy Canada.
I won the competition and got the opportunity to participate in a policy seminar with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in April.

Essay Question: Why Should the Canadian Government help Tibet?

Canada has long been recognized and respected for its peacekeeping. Tibet�s recent request for Canada to broker negotiated solutions between Tibet and China should be taken seriously in light of Canada�s views towards freedoms of expression and human rights.

Canada is a country where people from many different walks of life are able to coexist in harmony. As such, Canada is in the unique position of being able to understand the importance of religious freedom and the preservation of culture, one of the larger issues facing Tibet. At present, Tibet�s hold on its land is slowly being eroded away by the movement of mainland Chinese into this land. In this way, China is attempting to assimilate Tibetans into the type of behaviour they desire. This movement is also forcing many Tibetans to flee to India in order to freely practice their religion. As mainland Chinese surge into Tibet, it is becoming more and more difficult for Tibetans to maintain their religion, being surrounded by people who do not understand their religion nor what their culture entails. In contrast, Canadians are able to practice their respective religions freely, in a way Tibetans in mainland China - and soon, Tibetans in their homeland - are not able. Canada�s Charter of Freedoms and Rights offers its citizens freedom of expression and religion. In line with its belief in these freedoms, Canada should offer support and help to those being denied these freedoms that Canadians often take from granted.

Tibet symbolizes a hope for a peaceful world. The Dalai Lama has preached of his visions of cooperation and mutual respect. Tibet, as a people, has always stood for tolerance, peace and non-violence ideals. In a world often filled with chaos and anarchy, Tibet is a shining example of a spiritual nirvana. These are ideals oft forgotten in favour of war and disorder. In this, Canada and Tibet are similar. Canada is, as mentioned, known for its dedication to peacekeeping over warmongering. Canada, as a nation, has from its beginning worked towards preventing racism and religious prejudice and towards the advancement of cooperation and respect. These similarities in Canadian and Tibetan allows Canada a unique understanding of Tibet�s culture and would allow Canada to make informed decisions pertaining to the preservation of Tibet�s ideals during negotiations. Moreover, this is one way in which Canada could contribute to its aim of world peace - by brokering negotiations between Tibet and China with the goal of ending the uncertainty and violence surrounding this issue. Lastly, by brokering negotiations between Tibet and China, Canada would be setting an example that peace and cooperation will, in the end, triumph over declarations of war.

Canada has, throughout history, taken a firm stand on many Human Rights issues. For many years, China has arrested peace protestors, including many supporters of Tibet and many Tibetans themselves. In this way, China is attempting to curtail the freedom of speech of its citizens. Canada prides itself on its freedoms of speech - in Canadian streets, peaceful protests are not a rare sight - and brokering negotiations between Tibet and China is a way for Canada to display its support for freedom of speech internationally, not only on its streets. China has arrested Tibetans with baseless accusations, and followed that up by mistreating them in prisons and sometimes extra-judicial killings. China�s kidnapping of the 5-year-old Panchen Lama, followed by their installation of their own Panchen Lama, is disgraceful. Moreover, China has refused to provide evidence of the Panchen Lama�s well-being beyond from verbal reports. Canada has taken various stands on Human Rights, and Human Rights are something that Canadians pride themselves upon. In light of China�s human rights crimes, if Canada can aid in the completion and enforcement of the negotiations, Canada would be partaking in the prevention of future crimes.

The continued deprivation of religious and cultural rights in Tibet should no longer be tolerated, for it is the Tibetan people who will continue to suffer for lack of action. While China�s human rights record has improved in the recent year, its treatment of many Tibetans has not. China has long attempted to evade and side-step the question of Tibet, and it is time that negotiations between China and Tibet are finally concluded, and the negotiations enforced. This brings up the point that Canada is a powerful country with the international backing to enforce the result of the negotiations, an important factor in being able to prevent further human rights abuses and to enhance the freedoms of expression and religion in China.