Honourable Senators...

I rise in the Senate to give my support to the request of the Government of Taiwan to obtain observer status at the World Health Organization.

As we are well aware, the World Health Organization is an agency of the United Nations and was created in 1948 with Canada as a founding member.

The request from Taiwan has been one of debate for many years. On the one hand it can rightly be seen as a matter of human rights…but at the same time the political dimension cannot be ignored.

As many honourable Senators have done in the past, I call attention to the preamble of the WHO constitution.

It reads, “The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition.”

Clearly this highlights the emphasis of health and human rights over the political issues that drive the opposition to Taiwan.

In today’s globalized world, health is a concern for all people around the world.

Diseases do not follow state borders, nor can they be confined within them.

This reality was seen in the outbreak of SARS and its rapid spread across the world.

It is in times such as the SARS outbreak that the need for information sharing and cooperation is highlighted. Taiwan required the assistance of the WHO during this crisis but was unable to receive the full support needed because it was not a member or observer of the organization.

While opposition continues from China, there are precedents in the organization of participants receiving such status.

There are currently five entities which have observer statues in the WHO.

Another important point that Senator Di Nino has made in the past, is the contribution Taiwan would make to the World Health Organization.

Taiwan has a well established and advanced health system that could provide important information and knowledge to the international organization and its members.

Rejecting the participation of Taiwan in the WHO puts not only its population of 23 million at risk but also all of the Taiwanese who visit Canada and other parts of the world. There is no reason to take such risks.

Canada has supported Taiwan’s request in the past as have other countries and organizations such as the United States, Japan and the European Union.

On May 27, 2003 the House of Commons passed a resolution supporting the government of Taiwan’s request.

And, on June 12, 2003, this Chamber passed a similar resolution with unanimous support.

I speak today in the hope that we can once again give support to the request by Taiwan for observer status at the World Health Organization.

Thank you