Burma Task Force Canada supported a Mississauga Rohingya protest. |
Starting in 2017, our Burma Task Force campaign in Canada was one of the first human rights groups raising awareness of the grievous genocide facing Rohingya Muslims. Our work played an integral role in shaping the discourse around the Rohingya genocide debate in Canada, especially when both Canadian leaders and the public would still identify the issue as just "ethnic cleansing". Our initial years advocating for Rohingya were marked by fundamental changes in perceptions of Rohingya human rights.
May 2018--We worked with Hon. Bob Rae, former Special Envoy to Myanmar, to help inform his groundbreaking report about the crisis. Based on that report’s findings, Canada’s government pledged over $300M in aid, announcing a diplomatic strategy to respond to the Rohingya refugee crisis. September 2018--After organizing nationwide campaigning and advocacy demanding the government to formally recognize the Rohingya genocide, Canada’s parliament adopted a unanimous motion labelling the brutal crackdown against Rohingya a genocide. October 2018--We called for the revocation of Aung San Suu Kyi's honorary citizenship in response to her role in gross human rights violations against the Rohingya. As a result, she became the first person to be stripped of honorary Canadian citizenship. Below, view a complete timeline of our campaign’s milestones that helped bring about these changes and more. |
“Tell Them We’re Human”— Groundbreaking Rohingya ReportIn 2017, Burma Task Force Canada frequently engaged with government leaders and Bob Rae, former Special Envoy to Myanmar. Through relentless campaigning, organizing events, public awareness projects and ongoing briefings with government leaders, we urged the Canadian government to address the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims. In April 2018, Bob Rae released a detailed report about the Rohingya crisis. This publication would pave the way for several policy-level actions influenced by our advocacy efforts.
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Former Executive Director of Burma Task Force Canada Ahmed Ramadan, Former Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy, and Canada’s former Special Envoy to Myanmar Bob Rae, discuss the Rohingya crisis at a news conference. We were joined by Samantha McGavin from Inter Pares, and Farida Deif of Human Rights Watch Canada. |
Unforgettable Support From Canadian
A series of Burma Task Force Canada protests in the US and Canada. North Americans demonstrate their stance against horrific crimes against humanity facing Rohingya Muslims.
The year 2017 defined our struggle to raise public awareness and push Canada’s government to take concrete actions to end atrocities facing Rohingya Muslims. Thousands of Canadians helped support our cause by spreading the word, attending events, volunteering, and participating in national action alerts. Our collective actions compelled the Canadian government to match over $12.5M in donations. The government eventually dedicated $50M to Rohingya victims of the genocide. Canada’s Foreign Affairs also imposed the first sanctions on members of Burma’s military. Burma Task Force Canada continued building on this momentum to ensure the Canadian government would remain committed to taking action against the genocide.
Testifying for Rohingya at Canadian ParliamentOn April 4th 2017, our team presented to the Subcommittee on International Human Rights (SDIR). We were joined by community organizations, human rights groups, leaders, activists, including impacted Rohingya in Canada.
September 21st: Our team was invited to appear before the SDIR to testify again. Arising from both our appearances before parliamentary committees dedicated to global human rights, the Canadian government began issuing several statements highlighting concern about the unfolding events in Burma. |
Following years of campaigning and leadership meetings by Burma Task Force, Canadian federal leaders reinforced the need for a comprehensive, international response to this tragedy. |
The Power of Community Advocacy
2017 was a critical year when our team launched relentless campaigning and collective action on the ground. Seeking awareness at the government level became the catalyst for achieving perpetrator accountability under international human rights law. Together with community support, we alerted Canada's government about the brutality of crimes against Rohingya at the hands of Burmese forces. We were transparent about our humanitarian agenda to ensure the plight of persecuted Rohingya remained the government's top priority.
October 13th: We presented and advised anti-genocide actions at a Rohingya crisis town hall organized by MP Iqra Khalid |
Burma Task Force at a community townhall organized by MP Iqra Khalid. |
October 19th: We met with Toronto City Councillors to discuss initiatives to raise awareness at the local level.
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Burma Task Force Canada and human rights workers met with former Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and former special envoy to Myanmar Bob Rae. Our collective presence represented successful activism, organization of events, raising public awareness, briefing leaders and ongoing campaigning. |
Throughout several other government and local-level initiatives, Burma Task Force Canada highlighted rampant Burmese government and military human rights abuses targeting Rohingya minorities. We demanded the Canadian government recognize the situation for what it was: a rampant genocide. |
Burma Task Force Canada supported a Toronto Rohingya demonstration with coalition partners. |
Throughout 2017, our mission to demand solutions opened the door to high-level discussions with policymakers who listened, such as former Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, former Ambassador of the Netherlands to Canada Henk van der Zwan, and Canada’s former Ambassador to Burma, Karen MacArthur. In our discussions, we reinforced the urgent need to resolve the security and humanitarian crisis in Burma. Our objectives included halting the persecution, revealing refugee experiences, pressing for aid and suggesting legal action.
2018
Parliament Acknowledges Rohingya Persecution as Genocide
September 18th was a historic day for Rohingya victims of genocide. Following two years of our advocacy actions, Canadian parliament unanimously adopted a motion recognizing the brutal crimes against Rohingya an act of genocide. This opened the door to accountability and impunity of Burmese leadership through targeted sanctions and multilateral diplomatic measures led by Canada.
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One of many government meetings in Ottawa. Burma Task Force Canada joins Maung Zarni from Free Rohingya Coalition, including community activists, to reiterate the urgency of the unfolding genocide against Rohingya Muslims. |
Canadian Government Pledges $330 million in aid to impacted Rohingya
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Until 2018, Burma Task Force Canada continued holding consultations with Canada’s government. We also connected Federal leaders with our community partners and Rohingya diaspora in Canada. As a result of our outreach, Canada’s government took substantial action to hold Burmese leaders accountable for their genocide of Rohingya peoples.
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A constant effort to ensure commitment from the Canadian government. Burma Task Force Canada discusses the impact of the ongoing genocide with MP Omar Alghabra, Special Envoy to Myanmar Bob Rae, and Anwar Arkani of the Rohingya Association of Canada. |
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May 18th: After Canadian Minister received thousands of letters made possible through our action alerts, Global Affairs Canada pledged over $330 million in humanitarian relief, diplomatic leadership, and a promise that Canada would spearhead international efforts to stop the brutal ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims.
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Burma Task Force Canada meets again with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) to discuss how Canada would take a leadership role to bring the massacre of Rohingya to an end. |
Canada Removes Honorary Citizenship of Burmese LeaderBurma Task Force Canada spoke with Canadian media and demonstrated against an upcoming visit to Canada by Aung San Suu Kyi (Burma’s de facto leader). We explained the importance of diplomatic actions as symbolic steps to weaken Burmese leadership. As a result, Aung San Suu Kyi faced strong condemnation from the Prime Minister and Global Affairs Canada. On October 2nd, 2018, Canada’s Senate fulfilled our recommendation of revoking her honorary Canadian citizenship. Once celebrated as a reformer, the world witnessed Suu Kyi’s complicity in the mass assault and killings of Rohingya Muslims. Following our strong advocacy to the government, she became the first person to be stripped of honorary citizenship for her role in gross human rights violations against the Rohingya.
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Our former Executive Director shared a testimony on the Rohingya genocide before the Senate’s Human Rights subcommittee. |
Imposing Ongoing SanctionsIn May 2018, we discussed with the Canadian government the need to further enhance sanctions against senior military officials for their role in targeting Rohingyas. As a result, robust, comprehensive sanctions were imposed against senior Burmese military leaders. To this day, Burma Task Force Canada remains the driving factor behind Canada’s ongoing calls to end arms sales, arms transfer and technical assistance to Burmese military officials. After we empowered Canadians to share their concerns with local leaders, MPs today continue urging Federal leaders to stop the flow of military equipment and resources to the regime responsible for the Rohingya genocide.
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Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s former foreign affairs minister conducts a critical visit to Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. |
2020
Former Executive Director Ahmed Ramadan and President Dr. Gemal Seede at a 2019 roundtable event at the University of Toronto's Munk School.
Canada Supports Legal Case at the ICJ
In September 2020, Canada joined the Netherlands to intervene in an international legal case brought by The Gambia against Burma at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The case argues that Burma violated the Genocide Convention in their indiscriminate assault on the Rohingya people. The Canadian government endorsed this ICJ case after Burma Task Force Canada spearheaded over 3 years of mobilizing Canadian leaders under their international human rights obligations. Our team influencing Canada to support The Gambia vs. Myanmar is paramount to advancing accountability for the Rohingya genocide. Under international law, the case will litigate mass murder, systemic discrimination, hate speech and sexual and gender-based violence against hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims. This includes the violence that took place in August 2017, which forced over 740,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, triggering the creation of the largest refugee camp in the world
2021
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Burm Task Force Canada urged the Canadian government to prevent Canadian entities from benefitting Burma’s military through any business or trade opportunities. Our education efforts raise awareness of the military’s vast control of mining, oil and gas industries. Burma Task Force Canada’s webinars and in-person programs also educate Canadians about Burma’s constitution allowing military control over the government by reserving 25% of all seats in national and local parliaments for military officials. As the Canadian public became more informed about the corrupt power system, in April 2021 Global Affairs Canada issued an advisory on doing business in Burma. Canadian companies were barred from providing war components and must determine whether their business would support military-owned conglomerates. Canadian supply chains related to Burma must also be examined for human rights abuses.
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Following years of campaigning and leadership meetings by Burma Task Force, Canadian federal leaders reinforced the need for a comprehensive, international response to this tragedy. |
Family of Rohingya Leader Arrives in Canada Mohibullah, a Rohingya teacher, was known to collect evidence of human rights abuses against Rohingya, including mass killings and gang rapes. He would also share evidences with international investigators. After Mohibullah was targeted and killed, Burma Task Force Canada and the Canadian Rohingya Development Initiative (CRDI) urged Minister Chrystia Freeland to accept his family as refugees in Canada (October 2021). His family faced grave threats in the refugee settlements. As a result of our communications efforts, 11 family members of slain activist Mohibullah, including his wife and children, arrived in Canada early 2022.
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At a peaceful Toronto demonstration organized by Burma Task Force Canada, it was a momentous occasion when Canada’s former Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland stood in solidarity with Canadians to call for an end to the horrific ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Burma. |