Canada revokes citizenship for Aung San Suu Kyi

Bloc Québécois MP Gabriel St-Martin said the opening prompted him on Thursday to ask a question to test the government's resolve and then get up immediately after question period to ask the Speaker there was unanimous consent to revoke immediately in 2007.

At the time, Suu Kyi was considered the brave leader of her country's opposition forces and had spent the better part of two decades in the form of house arrest. Although his party won the elections after Burma made democratic reforms, Suu Kyi is constitutionally excluded from the post because his children were born in the UK.

In 2016, she became State Counselor, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the country. It is widely perceived as having failed in its moral power and democratic mandate to repress the actions of the country's army, which attacked ethnic Rohingyas in villages near the country's border with Bangladesh.

St-Martin said his motion expressed the sentiment of his constituents that it was not logical for Suu Kyi to retain Canadian citizenship in light of what the United Nations calls genocide in his country.

A UN report called this week to prosecute generals responsible for crimes under international law, including murder, rape, torture, sexual slavery, persecution and slavery.

St-Martin had warned other party officials but had not decided with certainty whether he would move the motion. He said that he was "really surprised" by his passing and was clearly delighted with the result.

Nobody objected to that, including the Prime Minister, who was present in the House of Commons. MPs from all parties applauded and applauded when the motion was passed.

"I think it's an excellent symbol," St-Martin said. He said he had a "good international image to say," No, if you're complicit in a genocide, you would not have the honorary citizenship here. It's nonsense. "

The success of St-Martin is all the more surprising as the BQ is no longer recognized as an official party in the Commons. "We have to be inventive to participate in the debate," he said.

Other deputies were also satisfied with the result.

Mark Holland, Liberal Caucus Whip, said he had held "several public meetings where he was raised". "It's a situation that has followed very closely, perhaps more than people could achieve."

"I think the message sent is that we are deeply concerned about the fate of the Rohingyas and the situation in Burma and the Bangladesh border, and that the Commons has chosen to make a statement. to reflect his disapproval of the way events unfolded and the concern over the humanitarian crisis that was there. "

Liberal MP Gary Anandasangaree, Parliamentary Secretary of Heritage, said there is "a general consensus that Aung San Suu Kyi has never assumed responsibility for the Rohingya genocide. And I think it's a sign that the citizenship she has received, the honorary citizenship, is not consistent with what she did in this country. "

Liberal MP Salma Zahid tweeted, "His reluctance to take any moral direction for the Rohingya genocide in his country is inexcusable and deeply disappointing."

At the Burma Embassy in Ottawa, there was no immediate response to the Star's request for comment.

The motion goes further than Trudeau's special envoy Bob Rae in a report released earlier this year.

Rae warned the world not to question the atrocities committed against Suu Kyi, even though he did not exclude her from responsibility for the tragedy. However, he said that there are actually two governments in Burma, a military and a civilian, with the army having control of internal affairs. Suu Kyi does not control the military, he said.

MP Andrew Leslie, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, said that now that Parliament has spoken, the details of the revocation "will have to be resolved by the technical experts".

Tonda MacCharles is an Ottawa reporter who covers federal politics. Follow her on Twitter: @tondamacc