Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole paid tribute to the “brave women and men who sacrificed their lives for the just cause of Tibet” in a statement on the 62nd Tibetan National Uprising Day. “This day commemorates the 1959 Tibetan uprising against the presence of Communist China in Tibet,” O’Toole said on March 10. In March 1959, thousands of Tibetans took to the streets of Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, to revolt against the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “illegal invasion and occupation of their homeland.” The Tibetans surrounded the Potala Place, home of the Dalai Lama, to protect him and eventually helped him to escape into exile. Many were killed by the Chinese military when they opened fire on them. O’Toole said freedom of religion and belief are increasingly facing threats globally, therefore “Canada must stand behind those who advocate for religious freedom.” “I take religious freedom very seriously,” he said. “We must stand up …