ON CHINA: Marston investigates changing human rights environment

From Subcommittee on International Human Rights

Mr. Wayne Marston: In 1996 I led the largest civil demonstration in the history of this country, and during that we had 105,000 people, which was a significant amount on the streets of Hamilton. During that time, often we talked and thought about what happened in Tiananmen Square and the difference of how we could protest here, and the penalties and the cost. I have to say I have a great respect for the people who lived through that time. I want you to know that others were thinking of you.

Listening today, when you talked so eloquently about the needs of others and in China, and other people could have come here and talked about their personal pasts and their personal trials. I respect you greatly for doing that in the manner that you had today.
A friend of mine who is in Hong Kong, but goes in to China underground and instructs labour unions in that country that are trying to form, has told me that she believes some things have been changing, improving, that there is an optimism there because the leadership is aging, and that within a reasonable period of time we'll see some natural changes happening. She did say to me that the iron rice bowl is now gone, and as a result, the people in the urban areas are doing much better than the people in the rural areas. Do you see that as possibly fostering some kind of significant protest in that country?

Mr. Lu Decheng (As an individual): [Interpretation] I believe it's a thick impression that people get that China's human right situation is improving. If you check some free media or from media outside China, you would see that China's human rights situation is not improving, but in fact it's going backward.

For example, Internet restrictions in China is still going on. Free associations and organized activities are not allowed, even though they are not intended to go through the government, it's just some people who want to get together to do something. If you are interested, I have a long list of those organizations that have been crushed by the government.

Mr. Wayne Marston: One of the things I was pleased to see is you were talking about NGOs and other countries coming together, like-minded countries. I had suggested to this committee that we include labour in that group and that the dialogue actually report back to this committee earlier. In the remarks I heard, what I thought was the dialogue taking place was too much hidden from the public. By putting it on the map of having it at a public committee, it might be very helpful in changing the situation.

Mr. Decheng Lu (Interpretation): Thank you.