In a meeting with a total of eight members of the Canadian Parliament (MPs) on August 30 at the Office of the President, President Chen Shui-bian praised the Quebec Province of Canada for its successful referendum mechanism and its people's respect of the constitutional system.
The president said that Quebec's referendum has set up a model of democracy for the world, pointing out that although the results of the referendums in 1980 and 1995 were both not in favor of independence, the people of Quebec nevertheless accepted the results instead of taking measures that are "out of the establishment." The democratic spirit of this kind, he said, is worth learning.
In the meeting, the president also thanked the Canadian government for passing six resolutions in three years supporting Taiwan's bid to participate in the World Health Organization. In addition, he appreciated the concern it expressed last year when China passed the Anti-Separation Law. The law, he said, paves a de jure foundation for China's harsh resolution on the Taiwan Strait disputes.
The guests of the meeting included MPs Merv Tweed, Judy Sgro, Andree Champagne, Judy Wasylycia-Leis, Carole Lavallee, Wajid Khan, Michael Savage, and Christian Ouellet. President Chen welcomed their visit, and said to them that his administration looks forward to signing cooperation agreements on health and legal affairs with the Canadian government soon.
Deputy Secretary-General to the President Liu Shyh-fang and Taiwan's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Chang Siao-yue were also present in the meeting.