Killing of Falun Gong for their Organs: The Alberta Connection undefended group of people, even by by Chinese standards. This population David Matas is an international human provided a ready source for harvested rights lawyer based in Winnipeg, David Matas organs. Manitoba, Canada. These are revised • China maintains what the Government remarks condensed from a presentation of China euphemistically calls at the Central Library, Calgary, 18 January reeducation through labour camps. 2013 and the Education Centre, University GUEST Those Falun Gong who refused to recant of Alberta, Edmonton, 19 January 2013. disappeared into the camps. Opinion These camps are both arbitrary I want to talk about the killing of Falun detention slave labour camps and vast Gong for their organs from an Alberta live organ donor banks. The Laogai perspective. Falun Gong is a blending if the hospitals had organs of Falun Research Foundation estimated in 2008 and updating of ancient Chinese spiritual Gong for sale on the basis that, since that the number in the camps then and exercise traditions. It began in 1992 Falun Gong through their exercises are currently detained was between 500,000 with the teachings of Li Hong Zhi and healthy, the organs would be healthy. and two million souls. The United States quickly spread throughout China with We obtained on tape, transcribed and Department of State’s Country Reports the encouragement of the Government translated admissions throughout China. for China report that foreign observers officials who considered the exercises as • Falun Gong practitioners who were estimate that Falun Gong adherents beneficial to health and to the finances of detained and after torture recanted constitute at least half of the inmates in the health system. and who then got out of detention and the country’s reeducation through labour By 1999, Falun Gong practitioners out of China told us that they were camps. were, according to a Government survey systematically blood tested and organ • China has two parallel power more numerous than the membership of examined while in detention. Other structures, a Communist Party structure the Communist Party. At this point, out detainees were not. The blood testing and a state structure. The Party structure of fear of losing its ideological supremacy and organ examination could not have governs the state structure. Every state and jealousy at its popularity, the Party been for the health of the Falun Gong position up and down the system, in the banned Falun Gong. The Party began a since they had been tortured; but it centre and the regions, has a parallel prolonged, persistent, vitriolic national would have been necessary for organ Party position. It is the Party organ that and international campaign of incitement transplants. instructs the parallel state organ. to hatred against Falun Gong prompting • Falun Gong practitioners who came The Party established an office for the their marginalization, depersonalization from all over the country to Tiananmen repression of Falun Gong called the 610 and dehumanization in the eyes of many Square in Beijing to appeal or protest office, named after the date of its Chinese nationals. were systematically arrested. Those who - continued on page 4 Those who did the exercises after 1999 revealed their identities to their captors were arrested and asked to denounce the would be shipped back to their home Inside.... practice. Those who did not were tortured. localities. Their immediate environment Guest Opinion Continued................pages 4,5,6 Those who refused to recant after would be implicated in their Falun Gong Staff, Volunteers, and Events.................page 2 FIPPA, First Nations Sovereignty, torture disappeared. David Kilgour and I activities and penalized. Environmental Issues........pages 3, 8 concluded that many of the disappeared Employer's Guide: Trans-Identified persons were killed for their organs. While it would To avoid harm to people in their in the workplace.....................page 7 take me too far afield to go through all the locality, many detained Falun Gong Human Smuggling Leg. evidence that led us to that conclusion, I declined to identify themselves. The Unconstitutional....pages 9, 10, 11, 6 will mention a few bits. result was a large Falun Gong prison SCC Changes Disability Direction ..p. 12, 13, 14 ACLRC Re-Brands.................................page 14 population whose identities the Publications List ................................. page 15 • Investigators made calls to hospitals authorities did not know. As well, no Civil Liberties Award ............................page 16 throughout China, claiming to be relatives one who knew them knew where they of patients needing transplants, asking were. This population is a remarkably Centrepiece 19:1 2013 page 2 Staff and Volunteers We have been busy these past few months. Damilola Olawuyi finished articling at ACLRC. Articling student Dorab Colah is cur- rently working with us. Pamela Dos Ramos and Brenda Johnston continue to work on the Anti-Racism Education Project. We are fortunate have been working with excellent volunteers over the last few months—including Rabia Shuaib and Samantha Cas- selman and others. Thanks also to the Pro Bono Law Students who assist us with various projects over the past university year. Thanks! - Linda McKay-Panos Upcoming Events Centrepiece c/o February 26th, 2013 Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre University of Calgary Noon to 1:30 pm 2500 University Drive NW Room 2370 Murray Fraser Hall Room 2350 Murray Fraser Hall Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4 Bill C-45: Changes to the Indian Act p: 403.220.2505 and Other Environmental Laws — Effects on First Nations Peoples Publisher and Editor: Linda McKay-Panos Featuring: Robert Janes Regular contributors: Janes Freedman Kyle Law Corporation Linda McKay-Panos Robert Janes practices civil litigation in the Victoria Melissa Luhtanen Brian Seaman and Vancouver offices, focusing on constitutional, Stephanie Jacobson aboriginal and commercial litigation. Free: Light Lunch will be provided Centrepiece is the newsletter of the Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre. The views expressed in Centrepiece are More information? 403 220.2505 the opinions of the author, and not nec- essarily the views of the Research Centre, its Board, staff, volunteers or funders. The Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre holds copyright to all material ap- pearing in Centrepiece unless otherwise indicated. Reproduction of Centrepiece THE RULE OF LAW IN AN AGE OF TERROR articles to which the Centre holds copy- right is permitted, so long as the author Keynote Speaker: and the source are acknowledged. Please DENNIS EDNEY contact the Research Centre if you wish Former Lawyer for Omar Khadr to obtain permission to reproduce any other material. Subscription rates are $10.00 for one WHEN: Thursday, February 28, 6:30 - 8:30 PM year. (Complimentary subscriptions for WHERE: Murray Fraser Hall, Room 3360, donors and volunteers.) Please enclose University of Calgary, Faculty of Law payment with your order. You may also access our newsletters on our webiste at FREE EVENT; Dessert reception to follow. aclrc.com. Space is limited, REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED: Newsletter ISSN# 1920-8820 (Print) 403-244-6666 Newsletter ISSN# 1920-8839 (On-Line) [email protected] Online registration: We would like to hear from readers! Submit Letters to the Editor to: https://secure.lexi.net/chumir/edneyrol2013.php?utm_ Centrepiece, Letters to the Editor source=RuleofLaw2013&utm_campaign=RoL2013&utm_medium=email Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre Centrepiece 19:1 2013 page 3 The Canada-China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPPA): Tipping Point for Canadian Sovereignty, First Nations Rights/ Sovereignty and Environmental Protection by Brian Seaman were exempted out from environmental Although the Omnibus Bill, Bill C-45, citizens. Finally, for anyone who wants protection for the benefit of industrial must be read in context with the FIPPA “talking points,” I have bulleted these development, mining, a pipeline or pact, I have restricted my comments and put them in a bold font. oil extraction would continue to apply here to the various parts of FIPPA that to Chinese companies operating in I see as particularly problematic. I will Summary of Main Obligations Canada. be re-reading the relevant parts of Bill The first part of the pact that under- C-45 again in the coming weeks as part mines Canadian sovereignty is found *It seems that for the Canadian of an article I want to put together in the section headed Withdrawal or Government, Canadian sovereignty for the Idle No More movement as a Denunciation, which in effect locks us is less important than a business resource. The various acts under the in for 31 years. and investment agreement with Omnibus Bill that address First Nations It says the agreement remains in China. The federal government lands certainly constitute an attack on effect for 15 years. Then it says that does not appear to have any regard existing Aboriginal rights under the pre- either party can withdraw upon giv- for Aboriginal rights or environ- Confederation Treaties, among other ing one year’s notice in writing of an mental protection. sources of law. The rights under these intention to quit. However, this provi- Treaties remained law after Confedera- sion is a red herring because it goes on Sub-section (22)The word “territory” is tion, notwithstanding the various at- to say that for any investments made defined in terms of what constitute the tempts by successive Canadian govern- before the date that the termination of national territories over which Canada ments to destroy Aboriginal rights and the agreement becomes effective, the and China respectively exercise sov- culture, whether we are talking about provisions of the agreement will remain ereignty. For both countries, territory banning the Ghost Dance, the Residen- in force for another 15 years. is defined to include land territory, air tial Schools system, the Indian Act and space, internal waters and territorial now, Bill C-45, which represents a viola- *If the agreement is ratified and sea.