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Canadian MPs have called for 2025 to be declared the "Year of Compassion" in honour of the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday. This initiative is part of a broader effort to reaffirm Canada's support for Tibet and its people, Phayul reported.
MPs Karim Bardeesy, Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, and James Maloney delivered statements in the House of Commons, highlighting the Dalai Lama's message of compassion and advocating for Tibet's rights. Over 60 Tibetan delegates gathered on Parliament Hill for Canada Tibet Lobby Day 2025, meeting with MPs and urging support for the "Year of Compassion" declaration. MP Karim Bardeesy reiterated the House's 2024 resolution, which acknowledged Tibetans as a unique people and nation, emphasising their long-standing contributions to Canada and the vitality of Tibetan democracy in exile. MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe urged Parliament to declare 2025 the 'Year of Compassion' in honour of the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday, calling for recognition of Tibet as an occupied nation and the safeguarding of Tibetans' right to choose the successor of the Dalai Lama without external interference. MP James Maloney, Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Tibet, reflected on the 55-year history of Tibetan presence in Canada since the arrival of the first refugees in 1970, commending the Dalai Lama's lasting message of peace and supporting the call for 2025 to be named the 'Year of Compassion,' as cited in the Phayul report. These statements coincided with over 60 Tibetan delegates from Toronto, Alberta, Belleville, and Ottawa gathering on Parliament Hill for Canada Tibet Lobby Day 2025, organised by the Canada Tibet Committee (CTC) in partnership with Parliamentary Friends of Tibet and various Tibetan organisations across the country, as noted by Phayul. The main request of this year's Lobby Day was for Canada to endorse the declaration of 2025 as the "Year of Compassion" in homage to the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday. Delegates stressed that such a declaration would pay tribute to the Dalai Lama's lifelong dedication to non-violence, interfaith harmony, peace, and compassion, while reaffirming Canada's commitment to the rights and dignity of the Tibetan people, as highlighted in the Phayul report. (ANI)
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