Canada's Policy on Burma

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Canada’s policy on Burma is a direct reflection of the severe problems that the military government has created for its people, and the security concerns that the policies of its leadership and the actions of its armed forces pose for the international community. Foremost among the concerns is the appalling mistreatment of the people of Burma, who are deprived of fundamental human rights and denied a voice in the way they are governed.

In 1988, citizens of Burma rose up nationwide to demand an end to nearly three decades of military dictatorship. Thousands of people are believed to have been killed when troops opened fire on the mass protests. In the intervening years, Burma’s military-led government has violently repressed democratic ideals and freedoms – the same ideals and freedoms that Canadians deeply value.

Today in Burma, there is no freedom of speech, press, association or assembly. Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi - whose National League for Democracy political party won 82% of the vote in a national election in 1990 - has been under house arrest for 12 of the last 18 years, and more than 1,150 political prisoners remain in jail. The practice of forced labour in Burma continues. Human rights organisations have documented the use of rape as a weapon and routine torture. The main instrument of repression in Burma is its armed forces, which act with impunity and are therefore beyond the reach of the law. Poverty is prevalent, as evidenced by a United Nations World Food Programme report that found that one third of young children in Burma are chronically malnourished, and large numbers receive little or no education.

The Government of Canada remains deeply concerned by this appalling situation and is firmly committed to promoting democratic reform. Canada’s Foreign Minister and officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade have conveyed this message to Burmese authorities at every available opportunity.

Canada believes the most effective way to bring about change in Burma is by working in conjunction with the international community. Canada is active in the United Nations, raising Canada's concerns about the human rights situation in Burma. Canada is also a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, which held a Special Session on Burma on October 2, 2007. This Special Session resulted in a request for the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar to seek an urgent visit to the country. Further, Canada has supported, and will continue to support, the ongoing scrutiny of Burma’s forced labour practices by the International Labour Organization. Canada actively encourages other nations, particularly Burma’s immediate neighbours, to press Burma’s rulers to take concrete steps towards genuine political dialogue with the opposition and respect the human rights of its population.

In order to underscore the seriousness of Canada’s concerns, the government has put in place a number of political and economic measures against Burma. On December 13, 2007, Canada imposed the toughest sanctions in the world against Burma, in order to exert pressure against the military junta. Since 1988, Canada has banned the export of arms and limited all other exports to humanitarian goods. In January 2003, Burma was excluded from Canada’s Least Developed Country (LDC) market access initiative, which eliminates most duties and quotas on imports from the other 48 Least Developed Countries.

In July 2003, in response to the continued harassment and imprisonment of Aung San Suu Kyi and members of her political party, Canada imposed restrictive measures targeting senior members of the regime. Under these measures, the Burmese leadership, senior government officials and members of the military are to be denied visas for admission to Canada. Also, travel restrictions within Canada were imposed on Burmese diplomats based in Canada.

The Canadian government suspended Official Development Assistance to Burma in 1988. Canada does provide assistance to support Burmese refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons through organisations operating in border countries (Thailand, Bangladesh, India and China) and delivered through Canadian NGOs.

In August 2007 the military junta increased the price of fuel by up to 500 per cent, triggering the largest protests that the country has seen since the 1988 pro-democracy uprising. These peaceful protests, led by Burma’s Buddhist monks, grew in size until September 27, 2007, when Burmese authorities cracked down on the protesters. At least 30 protesters were killed and thousands more were arrested. In the aftermath, regime forces raided homes and monasteries in search of people suspected of having taken part in the protests. Over 650 protesters, many of them Buddhist monks, remain in custody.

The Government of Canada continues to pressure the Burmese regime to respect the human rights of the people of Burma, and to engage in dialogue with Burma’s democratic forces and representatives of ethnic minorities. Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs issued statements on the situation in Burma on August 22, September 24 and 26, and October 12, 2007, condemning the use of deadly force by the military and police, and urging the Burmese authorities to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of both the protesters and the people of Burma.

On October 16, 2007, in the Speech from the Throne, the Governor General stated that the government would “immediately call upon Parliament to confer honorary citizenship on Aung San Suu Kyi”. A motion conferring this honorary citizenship was passed by the House of Commons with all party agreement on October 17. The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time, presented the certificate of honorary Canadian citizenship to Aung San Suu Kyi’s cousin, Dr. Sein Win, a leading member of Burma’s democratic forces abroad, at a ceremony on Parliament Hill on May 5, 2008. In his speech, the Minister stated that the presentation of this honorary Canadian citizenship “is in recognition of Aung San Suu Kyi’s long and courageous struggle to promote freedom and democracy in Burma…a struggle that she has pursued in the face of overwhelming odds.”

The bilateral measures and multilateral efforts undertaken by Canada reflect growing frustration with the Burmese military government’s record of abject failure to cooperate with the international community and end the mistreatment of its people. They will remain in place until significant progress on political transition to genuine democracy and respect for human rights can be demonstrated.

October 2008

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