“We need an eyes-wide-open policy on China.”

Allen Macartney
Special to Spur Ottawa

China has a notorious history of cracking down on religious communities. While many have heard of China’s past crimes, fewer people know of the atrocities they continue to commit. That’s why they were the focus of this year’s 6th annual Parliamentary Forum on Religious Freedom.

Speaking at the April 3 event, Anastasia Lin (Miss World Canada 2015) said right now adherents of all faiths are being beaten and tortured in China. Lin is very outspoken about the human rights abuses of her native China. Because of her activism she was banned from attending the 2015 Miss World Pageant, in Sanya, China.

“We used to be bolder in exposing China’s flagrant breaking of international conventions on human rights.”

Although some regions are less severe than others, Lin reported that Chinese state security officials are subjecting religious people to high-hvoltage electric shocks, knife slashings, having bamboo sticks shoved under their fingernails, and solitary confinement in freezing cells. Pastors who lead non-registered house churches are regularly tortured and persecuted.

“And things are getting worse, not better,” says Garnett Genius, Member of Parliament for Sherwood Park/Fort Saskatchewan. Reportedly, China harvests 60,000 to 100,000 organs each year, many from members of faith communities. Amnesty International, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, and Human Rights Watch all speak out against China’s terrible record on religious freedom and human rights. Still the tortures continue.

What can Canadians do?

“We used to be bolder in exposing China’s flagrant breaking of international conventions on human rights,” says Andrew Bennett, Canada’s former Ambassador for Religious Freedom (2013-2016). “We need an eyes-wide-open policy on China,” he says, adding that this involves educating ourselves.

In Canada we “privatize” religion (keep it personal) so much that we feel awkward about speaking to other countries about it, says Bennett. We think it is not our business or right.

“That’s wrong,” he says. “We must stand up for our values and ethics. Canadians can influence countries with bad records of religious rights. And that’s good news!”

Canadian corporations engaged in China can play a crucial role. Often China’s religious and human rights record violates corporate principles. But, religious and human rights need to be given precedent over short-term commercial benefits. Shareholders and customers can play a role here by contacting the companies to stress the importance of upholding religious and human rights.

Bennett says it is much more onerous to violate an international trade or investment agreement than an international human rights agreement. He stresses that that needs to change.

Are Canadian religious freedoms at risk?

“We have very robust religious freedom in this country,” says Bennett, “but we also have our challenges. While the courts have been pretty good upholding religious freedoms, we’re starting to see some fraying edges.”

The challenges include everything from the conscience rights of Christian, Orthodox Jewish, and Muslim doctors being compelled to refer patients for abortions or assisted suicides, to the right of Trinity Western University to open a law school.

“If we want to have robust religious freedom in Canada,” says Bennett, “all faith communities need to stand up and speak out. We can’t just rely on our institutions. It’s very important that people of faith engage in the public square.

“During this 150th anniversary of Canada’s confederation we need to reaffirm the role religious communities have played, and continue to play, in the development of our country. They all contribute to our rich tapestry of faith. And let’s not forget that the majority of Canadians profess some sort of religious adherence.”