(Clearwisdom.net) Ottawa Falun Gong practitioner's application to participate in the Flotilla at this year's Tulip Festival was approved on May 3, 2002 after being initially rejected due to the Chinese embassy's influence. Here is a list of the media reports reflecting the development of this event from denial to approval:

On May 3, The Ottawa Citizen newspaper carried a front-page article to report over the denial of the practitioners' application.
On May 3, the Flotilla committee reversed their decision to let the practitioners in.
On May 3, CBC TV ran a very good program with two Dafa practitioners talking to clarify the truth.
On May 4, The Ottawa Citizen reported the new decision of approval from the Flotilla Committee in a prominent position of the paper.

The Ottawa Citizen: Falun Gong barred from Tulipfest flotilla
Group blames China [...]

Zev Singer

Friday, May 03, 2002

The Canadian Tulip Festival has barred Ottawa's Falun Gong practitioners from entering the festival's annual flotilla along the Rideau Canal, scheduled for later this month.

The festival usually takes all comers -- no matter what floats the boat of an entrant. Festival officials say they turned the spiritual group down because last year supporters littered the shoreline and shuttle buses with too many leaflets and drove their boat erratically.

The group, however, claims the festival is keeping it out of the flotilla because of concerns expressed by the Chinese Embassy, a supporter of the festival and an enemy of Falun Gong.

Early last month, Falun Gong leaders received an e-mail from the festival's program manager, Kathy Stuck, informing them that the festival would "not be able to accept" the group's entry into the flotilla.

Two days later, on April 12, Lei, who captained the Falun Gong boat last year, went to the Tulip Festival's office and spoke to Ms. Stuck. He says that he asked Ms. Stuck if his group could participate if they promised not to distribute leaflets during the event and used a professional pilot for their boat -- the captain does admit to some Dow's Lake zig-zagging.

But, Mr. Lei says, Ms. Stuck told him such an arrangement would not solve the problem because the Chinese Embassy had already been told that Falun Gong would not be participating in the Tulip Festival. Ginette D'Aoust-Castonguay, another Falun Gong practitioner who went to Ms. Stuck's office with Mr. Lei, said she also remembers Ms. Stuck giving that explanation.

Ms. Stuck said yesterday that she could not remember what she said during that meeting. But almost two weeks later, she did send an e-mail to Mr. Lei.

"I feel I must apologize," the e-mail said, "for leading you to believe the Chinese Embassy was an influence in our decision to not accept your application for the Flotilla. The Embassy has not played a role in that decision."

Yesterday, the festival's marketing and communications manager, Doug Little said that the Chinese Embassy is not a major supporter of the festival, does not have a boat in the flotilla and was not involved with the festival at all until two months after the decision was made by the festival, independently, to ban Falun Gong from the annual floating parade.

Mr. Little said that decision was made in January, because of the litter and problems in launching and docking of the Falun Gong boat. The embassy, according to Mr. Little, was not approached as a potential supporter until March. At that time, festival organizers asked the embassy to buy a five-foot fiberglass tulip, of the kind which have been painted and are now displayed around the city.

"The embassy was approached to buy one," Mr. Little said. "The embassy asked the question 'Was Falun Gong involved?' We said 'no.' "

The embassy did then buy a tulip, for $750.

Officials at the embassy could not be reached for comment yesterday. However, a history of conflict does exist between China's embassy to Canada and the Ottawa group of Falun Gong practitioners, reflective of the bitter relationship between the Chinese government and the spiritually based practice.

For the last year, the Ottawa branch of the group has been holding daily protests in front of the Patrick Street embassy to spread its message of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," and to protest the government crackdown against Falun Gong activists in China.

But Mr. Little said that whatever the conversation was in Ms. Stuck's office, and whatever the embassy's motives for asking the question they did, the embassy did not play a part in the decision to decline the Falun Gong boat.

"The Canadian Tulip Festival is a $6-million operation," Mr. Little said. "The sale of one $750 tulip has absolutely no influence on anything. The problem we had with this organization was one of safety and one of litter."

Falun Gong organizers, however, say they still want to participate in the flotilla and can't understand why they can't simply address those concerns and be allowed to float freely once again.

"The fact is, it's very late in the game to try to resolve issues like that," Mr. Little said. He said that while it's true that other groups have been accepted for the flotilla since the time that the Falun Gong group was turned down, the flotilla's committee, made up of volunteers, felt they did not have time to work through Falun Gong's special issues this year but would consider the group for next year.

Kanata Councillor Alex Munter, who intervened on the group's behalf when their city-granted permit to protest the embassy was threatened, yesterday called on the festival's organizers to allow the group to enter their boat.

"Giving in to a foreign regime's desire to stamp out a religious group they don't like should never be considered," he wrote to Joan O'Neill, the festival's president.

"It betrays our country's tradition of respecting freedom of speech and freedom of religion and it undermines the idea of the Tulip Festival as a celebration to bring the community together."

CBC TV: Tulip Festival will run until May 20th (Footage on Tulip Flotilla)

May 3, 2002 CBC News Announcer : Now opening day did have one unexpected controversy. It involves festival organisers, a flotilla and Falun Gong.

Simon Gardener explains : As this years tulip festival was being launched, members of the spiritual movement Falun Gong were accusing the festival organisers of caving in to the Chinese government, which this year is supporting the tulip festival.

Shizhong Lei : It is very evident that the embassy is playing a role.

Simon Gardener : In China, membership in Falun Gong is illegal but Ottawa practitioners regularly protest in front of the Chinese embassy. This latest controversy surrounds the flotilla, which is part of the tulip festival. Falun Gong participated in the event last year but this year they were told to stay away.

Shizhong Lei : Well she said because the Chinese embassy is going to be involved this year your _

Ginette : You can't, she said you can't, that's it.

Simon Gardener : Festival organisers claim the decision has nothing to do with China.

Doug Little (Canadian tulip festival) : Our problem with it came from last year's flotilla where there was a problem with the safety of the boat, the safety of the operator of the boat and also the fact that they were going along with the flotilla handing out flyers along the flotilla route and there was a litter problem along the route and also a litter problem on the free OC transport tulip shuttles.

Simon Gardener : Falun Gong supporters say that those are trumped up charges.

Ginette : I didn't see any flyers, I walked from one end of the Canal-- like Shizhong said, we pay for these flyers so when we see some on the ground we pick them up.

Simon Gardener : The captain of last year says that he did veer close to the bank, but only once.

Shizhong Lei : Some people on the bank said, "Could you guys get closer so we can take some nice pictures?" and to oblige them I veered off course.

Simon Gardener : Late today organisers changed their mind. Falun Gong can participate with several conditions.

Doug Little : We are asking them to make sure there is a proficient operator of the boat. We are asking them to make sure they don't litter and they don't distribute any literature along the flotilla route. And we are also asking them to participate in the flotilla with the theme which is "tulipmania" this year.

Ginette (D'Aoust-Castonguay) : This is what we wanted in the first place, to fix whatever was the problem and to negotiate...

Simon Gardener : The festival is supposed to promote harmony and friendship so organisers hope this compromise will bring an end to the dispute.

Simon Gardener CBC News Ottawa.