The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) has urged Canadian parliamentarians to take decisive action against China's escalating forced assimilation drive in Tibet, warning that a sweeping new Chinese law set to take effect on 1 July poses an existential threat to Tibetan language, religion, and identity. ICT President Tencho Gyatso made the appeal following her testimony on 8 June 2026 before the Canadian House of Commons Subcommittee on International Human Rights.

The Testimony and Who Appeared

The subcommittee hearing was convened under two parliamentary motions — one adopted by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development on 23 September 2025, and a second by the Subcommittee on International Human Rights on 25 May 2026 — specifically to examine the situation of Tibetan children placed in Chinese state-run boarding schools.

Gyatso appeared alongside Chemi Lhamo, a Tibetan-Canadian human rights activist; Gyal Lo, a Tibet specialist and educational sociologist; Lhadon Tethong, co-founder and director of the Tibet Action Institute; and Tenzin Choekyi, a senior researcher at Tibet Watch.

The 'Ethnic Unity and Progress Law' — What It Does

Gyatso warned the subcommittee that Beijing's new 'Ethnic Unity and Progress Law', due to come into force on 1 July, combined with China's state-administered boarding school system, directly endangers Tibetan language, religion, culture, and identity. 'The new law makes the state's ambitions unmistakably clear, laying a stark blueprint to erase Tibetan language, culture, and identity,' she told lawmakers.

She further cautioned that the law could have implications beyond China's borders, potentially framing criticism voiced in democratic capitals as undermining 'ethnic unity' — a move that could be used to suppress international advocacy.

Key Demands Placed Before Canadian Leaders

Gyatso called on Canadian leaders to publicly condemn the Ethnic Unity Law and urged Prime Minister Mark Carney and Foreign Minister Anita Anand to do the same. She also pressed for high-level engagement with the Central Tibetan Administration and Sikyong Penpa Tsering, and called for coordinated action among democratic governments to ensure that the succession of the Dalai Lama remains free from Chinese Communist Party (CCP) interference.

'The issue concerning the 15th Dalai Lama does not belong to the Chinese Communist Party but to Tibetans alone,' Gyatso said.

Broader Context and ICT's Warning

The ICT has characterised China's assimilation policies as a systematic effort to weaken Tibetan identity and extend CCP control over every dimension of Tibetan life. The organisation has called on democratic governments to coordinate responses, press Beijing to end coercive policies, support meaningful dialogue between Chinese officials and Tibetan representatives, and protect the rights of Tibetans both inside Tibet and in exile.

Notably, this hearing comes amid growing international scrutiny of China's boarding school system, which critics argue separates Tibetan children from their families and cultural roots from an early age. 'The tragedy unfolding before our eyes in Tibet is therefore not only a Tibetan tragedy — it is a human tragedy,' Gyatso told the subcommittee.

What Comes Next

With the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law set to take effect on 1 July, rights groups are watching whether Ottawa will translate the parliamentary hearing into formal diplomatic action. The ICT has specifically urged Canada to coordinate with other democratic partners, signalling that a multilateral response — rather than a bilateral one — is the preferred path forward.