US embassy cable - 05OTTAWA228

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 OTTAWA 000228 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PREL, CA, China, Paul Martin, Southeast Asia, Same-sex marriage, Human rights 
SUBJECT: CANADA: PM MARTIN'S SEEKS TO STRENGTHEN COMMERCIAL 
TIES AND HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE IN ASIA TRIP 
 
REF: OTTAWA 00174 
 
 1. (SBU) SUMMARY: PM Paul Martin traveled to Thailand, Sri 
Lanka, India, Japan and China January 15-23 on a whirlwind 
tour that mixed tsunami relief with commercial relations. 
Some of the stops were photo ops or courtesy calls and 
critics questioned whether anything could be accomplished in 
such a rapid-fire trip.  But there were substantive meetings 
as well, especially in China, and drawing attention to 
Canada,s ties with the world,s largest emerging economies 
looked good to export-oriented Canadians.  On most ports of 
call the PM was also embroiled in controversy, some of which 
followed Martin from Canada.  In Sri Lanka attention was 
drawn to his meeting with supporters of the Liberation Tigers 
of Tamil Elam and in India a high-profile religious leader 
questioned his same-sex marriage proposal.  In China a 
Conservative MP drew attention to Martin,s seemingly light 
stance on human rights, and Martin lashed out at statements 
made by Opposition Leader Stephen Harper on same-sex marriage 
that made it appear the PM was ready to call an election over 
the issue.  PM Martin returned to a week of preparations 
before the opening of Parliament at the end of the month. 
END SUMMARY 
 
2. (SBU) Prime Minister Paul Martin traveled to Asia January 
15-23.  The trip was originally scheduled for India, Japan 
and China but in the wake of the tsunami disaster, stops to 
Thailand and Sri Lanka were added.  Conservative Deputy House 
Leader Jason Kenney traveled with the PM.  (Comment: Kenney's 
key function appeared to be highlighting the PM,s 
contradictions and missteps.  End Comment). 
 
3. (SBU) The Prime Minister stopped first in Thailand on 
January 16 for a short visit.  Martin had a very brief 
meeting with Thailand,s Interior Minister and a slightly 
longer visit with Canadian and Thai relief volunteers, 
including a long visit with the RCMP forensic team that has 
been deployed there to identify bodies. 
 
TAMIL MEETINGS STIR CONTROVERSY 
------------------------------- 
 
4. (SBU) The next stop was Sri Lanka on January 17, where the 
PM visited disaster areas near Kalmunai.  Local media reports 
that the PM was significantly moved by the devastation he 
witnessed but the visit was soon overcome by controversy. 
Even before meeting with officials of the Sri Lankan 
government, Martin met with members of the Tamil National 
Alliance, a mouthpiece for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil 
Elam.  Two of the officials he met, Joseph Pararajasingham 
and Gajendrakumar Ponnambalan, were recently banned from 
entering Canada because of suspicions that they would use the 
trip to raise money for the LTTE.  Jason Kenney pointed out 
the apparent conflict in meeting officials who are not 
allowed to enter Canada for alleged connections to terrorist 
groups.  Media reported that TNA officials pressed the Prime 
Minister to give charitable status to the Tamil 
Rehabilitation Organization, an association that the Canadian 
Security Intelligence Service says is a front for the LTTE. 
 
5. (SBU) Prime Minister Martin justified the meeting by 
saying he wanted to raise the issue of child soldiers and to 
seek assurances that aid money was not filtered to the 
Tigers.  TNA representatives were unapologetic, saying to 
reporters it was natural for the Tigers to offer shelter to 
children orphaned by the tsunami and the Tigers did not steal 
aid money for military use because they stole what they 
needed from the Sri Lankans.  The Prime Minister followed the 
meeting with the TNA officials with a forty-five minute visit 
with the President of Sri Lanka, Chandrika Kumaratunga.  That 
visit did not produce any joint declarations or announcements 
but local media reported that Kumaratunga reviewed with 
Martin some of the LTTE,s history, including the use of 
child suicide bombers. 
 
6. (SBU)  In connection with the Prime Minister,s visit with 
the Tamil officials, national media in Canada reported strong 
connections between Canada,s Tamil community and the Liberal 
Party of Canada.  Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis paid for his own 
trip to LTTE controlled parts of Sri Lanka before the Prime 
Minister,s trip and he visited TRO offices there.  Former 
Immigration Minister Judy Sgro also announced her intention 
before her departure to send Canadian Immigration officials 
to LTTE areas despite the protests of the Sri Lankan 
government.  (Note: Both of these MPs are from Toronto 
ridings where their nominations and election could be 
effected by the Tamil community.  Most of the influence of 
the Tamil community is related to population distribution and 
political organization.  Concentrated in the Toronto area, 
the Tamil community is reportedly in a position to influence 
ten Liberal riding associations.  Not only do Liberal MPs in 
those ridings have to consider this voting block in general 
elections, as Liberals the Tamils also influence who is 
chosen as the riding,s candidate.  End Note) 
 
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE CONTROVERSY TRAVELS WITH PM 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
7. (SBU) Problems also followed the Prime Minister to India 
on his next stop.  Martin held meetings with India,s 
Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister, as well 
as a courtesy call on the President.  The controversy came 
from an Indian newspaper article by Jathedar Giani Joginder 
Singh Vedanti, who is described by Canadian national media as 
the equivalent of the Pope in the Sikh religion.  Jethdar 
Vedanti declared his opposition to the Canadian same-sex 
marriage proposal and suggested Sikhs around the world should 
protest.  At least one of a group of Canadian Sikh MPs 
traveling with Prime Minister Martin, MP Gurbax Malhi, said 
he would abide by the Jathedar,s declaration.  Others were 
less enthused, with MP Navdeep Bains and Health Minister 
Ujjal Dosanjh rejecting the declaration, and MP Ruby Dhalla 
admitting the Jethdar,s opinion has weight in the Sikh 
community, but saying she would still vote in favor of the 
same-sex marriage proposal.  While not necessarily timed to 
coincide with this exchange, the Conservative Party 
concurrently unveiled a campaign on the same-sex marriage 
issue that is targeted to garner support in metropolitan 
ethnic communities across Canada.  Conservative 
Communications Director Jeff Norquay told POL FSN that the 
campaign was long planned as a build-up to Parliament's 
return but the coincidence of the Jathedar,s comment was 
welcome.  In the end, the Prime Minister and his Indian 
counterpart released a fairly routine Joint Declaration 
covering their meetings on tsunami relief, the G-20, 
democracy in Afghanistan, and peace talks with Pakistan. 
 
BUSINESS AND BEEF IN JAPAN 
-------------------------- 
 
8. (SBU) In Japan January 19-20, the Prime Minister attended 
a gathering with the Japanese Business Federation and held a 
fairly straightforward meeting with Prime Minister Koizumi. 
Along with declarations about commitments to tsunami relief, 
and promoting trade, peace and prosperity in Asia, Prime 
Minister Martin was able to secure a commitment from Prime 
Minister Koizumi to seek a science-based resolution to 
Japan,s ban on Canadian beef imports, even though PM Koizumi 
was unsuccessful in gaining Canada,s support for a Security 
Council seat.  Local media reported that critics later 
questioned the depth of meaning in the term 
 science-based,, however. 
 
HUMAN RIGHTS AND SAME-SEX MARRIAGE AGAIN IN CHINA 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
9. (SBU) The PM began his visit to China late on January 20 
with a delegation of Canadian business leaders, who joined 
for this leg of the trip.  With 360 members, the size of the 
private sector tag-alongs suggests that Martin hoped to 
accomplish something concrete in China.  Despite an apparent 
intent by the PM to focus on trade issues, however, unrelated 
news took the spotlight.  While the PM was highlighting 
China,s progress in reducing human rights abuses, the 
Chinese government was in the middle of a media crackdown to 
prevent public mourning of the late Communist Party leader, 
Zhao Ziyang.  This gave Conservative MP Jason Kenney an 
opening to attack the Prime Minister.  Kenney stated that 
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the U.S. State 
Department had all published reports recently saying human 
rights conditions were deteriorating in China.  He also made 
his way to the Zhao home to give flowers and offer 
condolences, drawing considerable media attention that was 
not appreciated by his hosts.  Martin protested Kenney,s 
actions to the Canadian media, saying they were disrespectful 
to the Zhao family.  On January 20, Canadian journalists 
(CTV) at the Zhao home were detained and questioned until 
their Press Pool passes identified them as Canadian media 
with the Prime Minister,s party and they were released (see 
reftel). 
 
10. (SBU) The same-sex marriage issue also followed Martin to 
China.  In response to a media question about statements made 
by Conservative leader Stephen Harper, Martin stated &if the 
question you're asking is, am I ready to go into an election 
to support the Charter of Rights against those who want to 
attack it, the answer is absolutely yes.8  Harper 
immediately spun this to mean that the Prime Minister would 
call an election if the bill failed and he further suggested 
that the Prime Minister was threatening Liberal Backbenchers 
to support the measure.  In Canada, Prime Minister,s Office 
spokesperson Marc Roy indicated that the vote would not be 
declared a confidence motion that would mandate an election 
if it were to fail. 
 
11. (SBU) COMMENT: Prime Minister Martin keeps an extremely 
busy schedule while traveling ) one journalist said the PM 
would make a drill sergeant proud ) and this trip was true 
to form.  Despite the distraction of domestic issues that 
followed the PM to Asia it appears to have been a productive 
trip.  The PM was the first head of state to visit the 
tsunami affected region and he was able to create serious 
 
SIPDIS 
openings on the economic and commercial front, while 
broadening engagement with the important emerging power that 
Canada,s new foreign policy recognizes as key to its 
interests and to global stability.  The one concrete 
achievement was a tourism agreement with China which will 
allow groups of Chinese citizens to visit Canada, a deal 
potentially worth millions to Canada's tourism industry. 
Septel will focus on Canada-China relations.  END COMMENT 
 
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http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa 
 
CELLUCCI