Today Steve Janke writes about the $210,000 advertising campaign meant to bring people to the town of Caledonia after the extensive native standoff and blockade that occurred there. Janke questions the value of the campaign and wonders if the ads will be effective in removing the town’s now tainted reputation.
However, one wonders for how long potential tourists considering a visit to Caledonia will instead picture the bitter divide that put this small Ontario town on the map.
David Kilgour is a former Edmonton area MP who ran under the Liberal banner until he finally became an independent before the last election.
Today, along with human rights lawyer David Matas, Kilgour released an independent report that seems to confirm what we’ve been hearing over the past few months from the reporters at the Epoch Times.
A few months ago, a reporter from that Chinese language news outlet interrupted the official state visit of President Hu Jintao by unfurling a Falun Gong banner and yelling at Bush to “Stop him from killing”. The reporter screamed at Bush and President Hu for what seemed to be about a minute before she was escorted from the press bleachers. As I watched the incident on CNN, the anchors were critical of the protest and dismissed it not knowing the background behind it.
Via the Western Standard’s news blog, The Shotgun, where I sometimes post my own diatribes, I often have the pleasure of reading DJ McGuire’s blog posts that are often critical of the communist Chinese government. I’ve also received exposure to the Epoch Times at my university, where it is regularly distributed. Having seen the reporter’s protest at the White House, I decided to look up the Epoch Times website where I read a headline which seemed too incredibly evil that I almost dismissed it as untrue. The headline described the killing and organ harvesting of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
It would seem that David Kilgour and David Matas took the next step and conducted an independent investigation with their own resources as they decided to look into the claims of the Epoch Times story. Today, they released their report and they have come to the conclusion that this evil is indeed occurring in China.
First of all, I’d like to applaud Kilgour and Matas for taking the initiative on doing the research on this issue. To shine light into the dark places where these alleged crimes against human rights occurs is one that deserves the respect of all Canadians and people around the world that believe in freedom and human dignity.
The report is available at http://investigation.redirectme.net.
Kilgour and Matas write,
“The Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of the Falun Gong in China (CIPFG), a nongovernmental organization registered in Washington, D.C. with a branch in Ottawa, Canada, by letter dated May 24, 2006 asked for our assistance in investigating allegations that state institutions and employees of the government of People’s Republic of China have been harvesting organs from live Falun Gong practitioners, killing the practitioners in the process. The request letter is attached as an appendix to this report. Many of the friends of China, including us two, are concerned about these allegations. In light of their seriousness, as well as our own commitment respecting human dignity world wide, we accepted the request.”
The report includes the transcript of an interview between Kilgour and the wife of one of the surgeons that allegedly performed some of the organ harvesting:
W: The operations started in 2001, some were done in our hospital, and some were done at other hospitals in the region. I found out in 2003. At the beginning he also did the operations, but he did not know they were Falun Gong practitioners. He was a nureo-surgeon. He removed corneas. Starting from 2002 he got to know those he operated on were Falun Gong practitioners. Because our hospital was not an organ transplant hospital. It was only in charge of removal. How these organs were transplanted, he didn’t know.
Kilgour: Your ex-husband started to take organs from Falun Gong practitioners starting from when?
W: At the end of 2001, he started to operate, but he didn’t know these live bodies were Falun Gong practitioners. He got to know that in 2002.
Kilgour: What kind of organs did he take out?
W: Corneas.
Kilgour: Just corneas?
W: Yes.
Kilgour: Were these people alive or dead?
W: Usually these Falun Gong practitioners were injected with a shot to cause heart failure. During the process these people would be pushed into operation rooms to have their organs removed. On the surface the heart stopped beating, but the brain was still functioning, because of that shot.
Kilgour: What was the injection called?
W: I don’t know the name of it but it caused heart failure. I was not a nurse or a doctor. Don’t know the names of the injection.
Kilgour: Causing heart failure, most, or all or some cases?
W: For most people.
Kilgour: So he would take corneas of these people, then what happened to these people?
W: These people were pushed to other operation rooms for removals of heart, liver, kidneys, etc. During one operation when he collaborated with other doctors, he learned they were Falun Gong practitioners, that their organs were removed while alive, and that it was not just cornea removal -, they were removing many organs.
Kilgour: They did it in different rooms, didn’t they?
W: In the later period of time, when these doctors cooperated together, they started doing the operations together. At the beginning, fearing information could leak out; different organs were removed by different doctors at different rooms. Later on when they got money, they were no longer afraid any more. They started to remove the organs together. For other practitioners who were operated in other hospital, my ex-husband didn’t know what happened to them afterwards. For the practitioners in our hospital, after their kidneys, liver, etc and skin were removed, there were only bones and flesh, etc. left. The bodies were thrown into the boiler room at the hospital. In the beginning, I did not fully believe this had happened. For some doctors who had operation accidents, they may form some illusions. So I checked with other doctors and other officials from the government health care system.
Kilgour: in 2003 or 2002?
W: 2003.
Kilgour: Your husband only did corneas?
W: yes
Kilgour: how many cornea operations did your ex-husband perform?
W: He said about 2000.
Kilgour: Corneas of 2000 people, or 2000 corneas?
W: Corneas of around 2000 people.
Kilgour: This is from 2001 to 2003?
W: From the end of 2001 to October 2003.
The following transcript is allegedly from a telephone call between the investigators and a doctor from Nanning City Minzu Hospital:
(4)Nanning City Minzu Hospital in Guangxi Autonomous Region (22 May 2006)
M: Could you find organs from Falun Gong practitioners?
Dr. Lu: Let me tell you, we have no way to get (them). It’s rather difficult to get it now in Guangxi. If you cannot wait, I suggest you go to Guangzhou because it’s very easy for them to get the organs. They are able to look for them nation wide. As they are performing the liver transplant, they can get the kidney for you at the same time, so it’s very easy for them to do. Many places where supplies are short go to them for help.
M: Why is it easy for them to get?…
Lu: Because they are an important institution. They contact the judicial system in the name of the whole university.
M: Then they use organs from Falun Gong practitioners?
Lu: Correct…
…
M: …What you used before (organs from Falun Gong practitioners), were they from detention centre(s) or prison(s)?
Lu: From prisons.
M: … And it was from healthy Falun Gong practioners…?
Lu: Correct. We would choose the good ones because we assure the quality in our operation.
M: That means you choose the organs yourself.
Lu: Correct…
…
M: Usually, how old is the organ supplier?
Lu: Usually in their thirties.
M: …Then you will go to the prison to select yourself?
Lu: Correct. We must select it.
M: What if the chosen one doesn’t want to have blood drawn?
Lu: He will for sure let us do it.
M: How?
Lu: They will for sure find a way. What do you worry about? These kinds of things should not be of any concern to you. They have their procedures.
M: Does the person know that his organ will be removed?
Lu: No, he doesn’t.
Another transcript confirms the murder of the patient for the purposes of a transplant:
(5)Shanghai Jiaotong University Hospital’s Liver Transplant Centre (16 March 2006):
M: I want to know how long [ the patients] have to wait (for a liver transplant).
Dr. Dai: The supply of organs we have, we have every day. We do them every day.
M: We want fresh, alive ones.
Dr. Dai: They are all alive, all alive…
M: How many [liver transplants] have you done?
Dr. Dai: We have done 400 to 500 cases…Your major job is to come, prepare the money, enough money, and come.
Kilgour and Matas admit that they do not know whether or not the harvesting of organs from Falun Gong practitioners is government policy but speculate that it is possible given the widespread nature of the practice in the country. If this type of program is being conducted by rogue elements of the Chinese government, one hopes that the publicizing of these alleged crimes will stir the senior officials of the government to put a stop to the practice and prosecute the perpetrators. However, if this is official (yet secretive) Chinese government policy, it is certainly unbecoming of a modern nation that seeks normal diplomatic and trade relations with the rest of the civilized world.
In today’s Globe and Mail, reporter Daniel Leblanc describes a letter that was sent from Liberal leadership contender Joe Volpe to Senator Dan Hays, the Opposition Leader in the Senate.
“In the course of the debate, we established in Canada a sense that the spirit of the law is that no one under the age of 18 would make a political contribution. I lived to that standard by giving the money back … I ask you to move the following amendment: ‘All persons under the age of 18 are prohibited from making financial contributions to leadership and political campaigns.” — Joe Volpe
So, Joe Volpe wants the Federal Accountability Act to be amended to include a ban on donations from minors?
According to government MP Pierre Poilievre, donations from people under 18 need not necessarily be banned, it is the laundering of money through the names of parent’s children to circumvent the Elections Act which is illegal and it is this very illegality that tripped up Mr. Volpe despite his laughable attempt to explain away his dubious fundraising,
“Apparently these kids just connected with me; they loved what I did … When they heard I was running for the leadership, they said ‘What can we do?'” — Joe Volpe on accepting $27,000 in donations from 11 year old twins and three other minors
It would be difficult to find anyone that thinks that Volpe honestly believed in what he was saying and that the $27,000 donations weren’t a circumvention of the maximum allowable amount stipulated by Elections Canada for the children’s parents. Similarly, a company cannot give $5400 to each employee on the condition that the employees make a donation to the candidate or party of their choice.
Jonathan Denis, a Calgary-based lawyer that specializes in eletoral law agrees and helps by explaining the current law,
“The Canada Elections Act does not prohibit donations from people under 18. However, contributions from minors to Joe Volpe’s leadership campaign are definitely cause for suspicion: does anyone really believe an 11-year-old has $5,400.00 to contribute?”
So what about Volpe’s new found desire for showing everyone that he’s turned over a new leaf and that he desires a change to the legislation to bar donations from people under the age of 18?
Not only was Volpe indifferent to donations by minors until he was caught, his letter to the Senate asking for amendments seems to represent more talk than action.
Volpe did not present any amendments to the Federal Accountability Act when it was before the House of Commons. He did not even speak on the legislation.
In fact, ever since the scandal of the donations broke, he hasn’t appeared in the House or voted on any motion. If he was really concerned about making changes to the legislation, he’d put his money where his mouth is (sorry) and show up in the legislative chamber in which the Canadian taxpayer pays Volpe a salary to sit and participate.
If Volpe is so concerned about making donations from minors illegal, how come he didn’t use his status as a Member of Parliament to make an amendment to the Accountability Act himself?