Journey to Freedom Day Bill
Third Reading—Vote Deferred
On the Order:
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Ngo, seconded by the Honourable Senator Enverga, for the third reading of Bill S-219, An Act respecting a national day of commemoration of the exodus of Vietnamese refugees and their acceptance in Canada after the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War, as amended.
Hon. Mobina S. B. Jaffer: Honourable senators, I rise to speak on Bill S-219, which is An Act respecting a national day of the exodus of Vietnamese refugees and to declare a Black April Day, which has now been amended in committee to "Journey to Freedom Day."
Honourable senators, today I rise to speak about Bill S-219, and I would like to thank Senator Ngo for raising the issue.
(1530)
Honourable senators, for Vietnamese communities around the world, April 30 is one of the most significant days of their collective history. It recognizes the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, the takeover of South Vietnam by the North and the beginning of the mass exodus of millions of Vietnamese people from their homeland.
As you are aware, honourable senators, at committee stage, we had a number of witnesses, and there was one witness who wanted to appear in front of our committee whom we were not able to accommodate. I did promise him that I would read his letter to all of you, honourable senators. He is the Ambassador of Vietnam to Canada. His letter reads as follows:
Dear Senators of the Committee,
Thank you for this opportunity to share with you the present state of Vietnam-Canada relations and a different view on S-219.
Last year, Canada and Vietnam celebrated 40 years of diplomatic relations. Canada recognized the then Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1973 (before the end of the war in 1975) and has continually recognized and supported Vietnam since reunification of our country. Vietnam is grateful to Canada for its kind understanding and support over the past 40 years now.
The ambassador goes on at length to describe all the bilateral relationships that Canada and Vietnam have had and, because of time limits, I will not read those.
The ambassador then continues:
Meanwhile, Bill S-219 introduced by Senator Ngo reaches back into the past and paints a dark and narrow view of Vietnam, its international relations and history. Moreover, this Bill proposes to enshrine this view with the recognition of the thirtieth day of April as "Black April Day".
The Government of Vietnam disagrees with this negative and selective portrayal and has expressed its concerns privately and publicly.
I submit that, if this Bill receives parliamentary approval, it will send the wrong message to the public of Vietnam and the international community about Canada's goodwill towards our country.
Senator Ngo, in his presentation to the Committee stated that this Bill is not political and would not have any impact on bilateral relations between Canada and Vietnam. This is incorrect.
In fact, the Government of Vietnam has made many representations to the most senior levels of the Government of Canada and leaders of Parliament expressing our serious concerns about the language and intent of this Bill.
If passed, this Bill will have an adverse impact on the growing bilateral relations between our two countries. Despite claims of being non-political, this Bill clearly incites national hatred and division, not unity.
As Ambassador, I have travelled across Canada and I believe strongly that this Bill does not represent the views of the majority of Vietnamese-Canadians. It is regrettable that there has been no opportunity for the Committee to hear other witnesses from different parts of Canada.
Honourable senators, on the issue of refugees, one that is being highlighted in S-219, the Government of Vietnam is grateful for the role Canada played in welcoming the thousands of Vietnamese refugees to its shores at a very difficult time in our country's history many years ago.
This was a time of war, poverty, disunity and suffering of all involved. Millions of innocent Vietnamese were victims.
The black days of war and suffering are the enemies of humanity, development and hope.
Vietnam and its people all over the world are focused on the future and the bright days of a better future with the help and friendship of countries like Canada.
Since that difficult time, the relations of friendship and cooperation between our two countries have increasingly grown on all fields.
As previously mentioned, our two countries have just celebrated 40 years of diplomatic relations. We should build on this milestone by highlighting the positive, the present and the future — not the negative of the past.
Honourable senators, Vietnamese Canadians living all over in British Columbia, the Prairies, Ontario or Quebec, the Atlantic provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador, even Canada's North, are hard-working people and important part of the Canadian cultural mosaic. These citizens also represent the bridge between our countries. This is what we should celebrate together.
In conclusion, let us leave the black days of war, suffering and disunity in the past. Vietnam and the Vietnamese people around the world have come a long way in 40 years. Let us focus on building the future as mapped out by Ministers Baird and Pham Binh Minh in September 2014. Let us focus on those things that bring us together, not tear us apart.
Once again, I thank you for your time and consideration.
Honourable senators, as I said earlier, this bill has now been amended at committee stage and the name of the day has changed to "Journey to Freedom."
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has reported that least 250,000 Vietnamese people lost their lives at sea in their desperate attempt to flee.
As I stated at second reading, honourable senators, to be a refugee is one of the most difficult trials a person can face. There is an overwhelming helplessness that you feel when you are in the hands of the goodwill of the international community.
I, again, want to take the opportunity to thank Canada and the policies of Prime Minister Trudeau, which allowed the Vietnamese to come to Canada and also allowed my family to come to Canada in 1975.
Those of us who have been refugees share an unspoken bond. We are acutely aware of the varying levels of suffering that each refugee undergoes. Some of us, through sheer chance, were put in a position where a country welcomed us with open arms. In particular, it is a recognition of the Canadian families, religious groups, charities and non-governmental organizations that sponsored an estimated 34,000 Vietnamese refugees to Canada. It is also an acknowledgment of the suffering of the many Vietnamese refugees.
Honourable senators, at this point, I would like to recognize the former mayor of Ottawa, who did a yeoman's job in welcoming Vietnamese people to Ottawa. Marion Dewar, Mayor of Ottawa in 1975, saw that there were many refugees suffering and, as we remember, they were called the "boat people." She went to her community and asked for support for the Vietnamese refugees, and then she contacted the federal government and challenged the government, which had set a quota of 8,000 people, to say that Ottawa would accept 4,000 of those refugees. The project was known as "Project 4000," in which 4,000 refugees were going to be accepted by Ottawa.
As a result of her challenge, Ottawa increased the number it would accept to 60,000. Marion Dewar led this initiative, and she encouraged many mayors across the country to also be part of this initiative. As a result, many communities came together and supported Marion Dewar's work and recognized that what she was doing was very important.
Today, I spoke to Marion Dewar's son, Paul Dewar, who is the MP for Ottawa Centre. He said: "If you praise my mother for the work she did, if she were here, she would say: It was not me. It was Canadians. It was my community."
Honourable senators, as a refugee myself, I would be very remiss if I didn't thank Marion Dewar and all the Canadians who helped refugees to make Canada our home.
Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.
Nguyên văn tại đây:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/Sen/Chamber/412/Debates/103db_2014-12-04-e.htm#58
Các bạn có thể đọc tại đây:
http://liberalsenateforum.ca/hansard...end-vietnam-w/
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