Dalai Lama congratulates Canadian PM Justin Trudeau on election win
DHARAMSALA, 23 Sept: The Tibetan spiritual leader has extended his congratulations to the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after he secured a third term in office following Canada’s snap election.
Congratulating the Canadian Prime Minister on his party’s victory in the national elections, the Dalai Lama has applauded the former’s “leadership shown in the face of challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic that has affected so many people around the globe.”
“I have also long admired Canada’s policy of taking compassionate action to welcome vulnerable people from troubled parts of the world on humanitarian grounds. As an honorary Canadian citizen myself, I feel proud of such generous, humanitarian gestures.” the octogenarian Tibetan leader’s official website dalailama.com quoted him as saying in a missive addressed to Prime Minister Trudeau.
The Tibetan Nobel Laureate has further stated that “It has been a privilege for him to have been able to visit Canada over the years,” and added that “the friendship and affection that my Canadian brothers and sisters have shown me have touched me deeply.”
The Tibetan Spiritual leader who is also an honorary Canadian citizen has also expressed gratitude to the government and people of Canada for their generosity towards the Tibetans.
“On this occasion, may I take the opportunity to express gratitude for the warm welcome Canada has shown Tibetan refugees since the time your late father was Prime Minister. I understand that, by and large, Tibetans have been making a positive contribution to Canada’s multicultural society.”
The Dalai Lama concluded by offering his prayers and wishing PM Trudeau every success in meeting the challenges that lie ahead in fulfilling the aspirations of the Canadian people.
Trudeau’s Liberal Party’s hung on to power on Monday after a tightly contested snap election and while doing so, he joined the company of his father to become the eighth Canadian leader to have won three successive elections.
However, Trudeau’s Liberal fell short of regaining the parliamentary majority he was seeking.
Trudeau, 49, has been in power since 2015. In 2019 Trudeau’s Liberal party held onto power after a closely fought election but were reduced to a minority government requiring the support in Parliament of a smaller left-leaning party.
