June 4, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Official Opposition, released the following statement on the 32nd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre:
“Today we join Chinese people in Canada and around the world to remember and honour the brave heroes who stood up to the Chinese Communist Party in a student-led protest on June 4, 1989. Like other brutal regimes, the Chinese Communist Party responded to peaceful protest with violence and murder.
“Under orders from the Communist Party, the military fired into crowds of civilians and used tanks to crush dissent. The image of a brave man standing in front of a convoy of tanks remains one of the most powerful images captured that day.
“Sadly, the Communist regime’s behaviour has not changed. Earlier this year, the Canadian House of Commons adopted a Conservative motion recognizing the ongoing genocide of the Uyghur people, also on the orders of the Chinese Communist Party.
“In their continued attempts to squash free speech, the Chinese Communist Party, through the Hong Kong Security Bureau, has banned attendance at the vigil traditionally held in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park to mark this solemn occasion.
“Canada’s Conservatives will always stand up for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. We will never forget the horrors of the past and we will always defend those oppressed.
“On behalf of Canada’s Conservatives, I join Chinese people around the world in remembering and honouring those who were brutally murdered by the Chinese Communist Party at the Tiananmen Square massacre.”
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For more information:
Josie Sabatino
Josie.Sabatino@parl.gc.ca
613-402-1589
Axel Rioux
Axel.Rioux@parl.gc.ca
613-291-7125
