Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Government must withdraw all Burmese investment
NDP calls for review of Canadian Pension Plan investments in Burma
OTTAWA - Canadian companies and public pension funds investing in Burma may have been complicit in propping up the military regime and the Canadian government has done nothing to stop it, according to NDP Foreign Affairs Critic, Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre). The military generals running Burma have been in the spotlight in recent weeks due to their recent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.
“Canadians across the country have been waiting for the Conservative government to stand up for the human rights of those demonstrating in Burma,” said Dewar. “We’ve heard daily of monks and other protesters being arrested and now confirmed reports of hundreds being killed. The Harper government hasn’t taken any meaningful action for the brave advocates of human rights and democracy in Burma.”
Joined in a press conference by representatives from Canadian Friends of Burma, Rights and Democracy and the Canadian Labour Congress, Dewar demanded that the Canadian government take action to strengthen an international arms embargo. He also challenged the Conservatives to instruct the Canadian Pension Plan to come clean about their Burmese investments.
“Canadians don’t want to be complicit in supporting the military regime,” said Dewar. “We fully expect that Canadian companies operating throughout the world hold themselves to the highest standards of corporate social responsibility. How can the Canadian government speak out for human rights in Burma and then allow Canadian companies to undermine these efforts by co-operating with the generals?”
Dewar was also joined by Alex Bookbinder, a student at the University of British Columbia and the organizer of Facebook’s Global Action Day for Burma. The Facebook group started only two weeks ago now boasts a membership of over 280,000. “The response has been immense,” said Mr. Bookbinder. “It would be shame to see support for the movement die out. I’m committed to see that it doesn’t.”
Dewar has called on all Canadians to join in solidarity with the Burmese people during the October 6th Global Action Day for Burma.
# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 1:10 AM 
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