The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on Canada Day:
“Today, we celebrate the country we love, and the people we share it with. Canada is home to over 38 million people: Canadians who live in cities and towns – big and small; people who are indigenous to this land; and those who’ve been here for weeks, months, years, or for generations.“
Canada is strong because of our diversity. No matter what our faith is, where we were born, what colour our skin is, what language we speak, or who we love – we are all equal members of this great country.“
Today, we celebrate the place we all call home. I know for some, our country’s historic wrongs can make that difficult. But while we can’t change history, we can put in the work to build a better future; one that reflects our values of hope, resilience, kindness, respect, and generosity.
“Generation after generation, Canadians have shown that we can deliver on those values. We did it when we adopted our charter in 1982, we did it when we took care of each other during the pandemic, and we do it every day when we welcome refugees with open arms.
“Today is an opportunity for us all to recommit ourselves to those values – values that the Maple Leaf represents. Because our flag is more than a symbol, it’s also a promise. A promise of opportunity. A promise of safety for those fleeing violence and war. And a promise of a better life.
“As we come together today, let’s think about what this country means to us – and tomorrow, let’s challenge ourselves to find new ways to live up to the great promise of Canada.
Cambodia today is a one-party state, a non-democratic, contradictory to the Cambodian National Constitution
Ref: ASEAN-US Summit, 12-13 May 2022
The Committee for Election Rights of Overseas Cambodians known as The CEROC, respects and recalls the United States’ foreign policy stance, which is firm in its values of democracy and respect for human rights.
At this ASEAN-US Summit, we firmly believe that the United States can not only put effort for the balance of geopolitical power alone, but also the non-democratic Cambodia, Burma, Laos and Vietnam, can certainly ruin the geopolitical efforts of the United States in the region.
Cambodia under the leadership of Hun Sen as the chair of ASEAN this year, has destroyed the values of democracy and human rights as stated in the Cambodian Constitution, a democratic standard like the United States, after the dissolution of the CNRP in 2017, banned the political rights of Cambodian citizens, utilize the judiciary national institution which guarantees the rights and freedoms of the people as their political tools to serve their party interests, shut down independent media, oppress and harass civil society, establish non-independent electoral body, and continue to intimidate Commune/Sangkat candidates from Candle Light Party for the upcoming June 5, 2022 sub-national election.
Therefore, we strongly hope that the United States will continue to educate Hun Sen and his team about the true values of democracy and human rights in a practical and meaningful mechanism. Khmer people always hope and believe in the respect for human rights!
Committee for Election Rights of Overseas Cambodians or the CEROC thank you very much all seven speakers and facilitator who contributed tremendously to the 30 Years Anniversary of Paris Peace Agreements. Your contributions shall be the knowledge, the compass and relentless struggles for rights, freedom and democracy of the younger generations of Cambodia.