44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 5, 2023 10:00AM
Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition on behalf of Canadians who are drawing the attention of the House to Bill C-257, which would add protections against political discrimination to the Canadian Human Rights Act.
The petitioners have two points they want to raise with the House of Commons.
First, they want the House to expeditiously support Bill C-257, which bans discrimination on the basis of political belief or activity.
Second, they want the defence of the rights of Canadians to peacefully express their political opinions to be made a first priority of the House of Commons.
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- Oct/5/23 10:11:25 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and privilege to present a petition today on behalf of constituents in my riding. The petitioners cite that, in 2018, the national anthem was amended with gender-neutral language to ensure equity and inclusion, but Canada's most notable symbols, the Canadian flag and the national anthem, fail to represent indigenous people.
The first contact between indigenous and non-indigenous people was amicable. Indigenous people showed newcomers how to survive. They agreed to share but not surrender their land, expecting settlers to share resources and only take what they needed. Their relationship to the land differs from those who claim it today, as the nature of this tie is not one of ownership but stewardship. The land is a sacred gift from the creator, which indigenous people vow to protect.
The petitioners cite many things. I will highlight the following. Indigenous people's relationship to the land is constitutionally recognized. Accordingly, the citizens and residents of the petition call on Canada to refute the doctrine of discovery and terra nullius by amending the national anthem's lyrics from “Our home and native land” to “Our home on native land”. Canada would therefore honour its moral responsibility and fulfill part of its commitment to the 45th call to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, moving toward reparation by recognizing that indigenous people occupied, cultivated and thrived on these lands before Europeans arrived.
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Mr. Speaker, as this is the first time I have had the opportunity to address you, allow me to congratulate you on your election as Speaker.
I present a petition on behalf of Canadians across the country who are very concerned with the loss of the freedom of choice in health care, and who are becoming increasingly alarmed by the legislation and statutory changes that were embedded, and buried, quite frankly, in Bill C-47, the Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1.
Canadians are competent and able to make their own health decisions without state interference. Therefore, the petitioners are calling upon this Parliament to guarantee the right of every Canadian to health freedom by enacting the charter of health freedom, which was drafted for the Natural Health Products Protection Association on September 4, 2008.
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Madam Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of 4,000 Canadians who are frustrated with the state of air passenger protection in this country.
This petition comes on the heels of several seasons of air travel chaos. The petitioners note that Canada's air passenger protection regime falls well short of the examples set in other jurisdictions, including the European Union.
The petitioners note that the backlog of complaints before the Canadian Transportation Agency, as of March 20, 2023, stood at 42,000 complaints. I would add that it is now well over 50,000.
Finally, the petitioners call on the government to table a bill that would reflect the contents of Bill C-327, which was drafted in close collaboration with air passenger rights advocates, and to do so at the soonest opportunity in order to protect the rights of air passengers right across this country.
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- Oct/5/23 10:16:26 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am honoured to stand in this place and present a petition.
The petitioners are concerned that, as part of federal defence department training exercises, over 1,800 piglets have been killed after being stabbed, mutilated and exposed to radiation and chemical nerve agents.
The petitioners also point out that 77% of NATO nations no longer use animals for military medical training. The petitioners call on the Government of Canada and the Minister of National Defence to end the use of animals in military medical training.
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- Oct/5/23 10:17:01 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the Region of Waterloo consists of five federal ridings, and constituents from the Region of Waterloo have come together in support of Prince Edward Island's negotiations with the Government of Canada to advance a basic income guarantee program that would last at least five years.
The petitioners raise concerns that, within the province of Ontario, we had a basic income pilot to see how we could lift communities and people up, but unfortunately, the current Conservative provincial government chose to kibosh that and to get rid of it right away.
As we approach Thanksgiving weekend, we know a lot of people are hurting. The petitioners feel this type of program might be an idea that could see more Canadians lifted up, especially during these challenging times.
I would hope Conservative members opposite would stop yelling at me, because we should be more concerned about the people who are hurting.
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to present a number of petitions to the House today.
The first petition is in support of an excellent private member's bill, Bill C-257. This bill seeks to protect Canadians from discrimination on the basis of political views or activity. It would add political belief and activity as prohibited grounds of discrimination within the Canadian Human Rights Act. The bill recognizes, fundamentally, according to petitioners, that political discrimination is wrong, as well as that it is in the interests of our democracy to have a dynamic in which people can express their political opinions freely without fear of employment-related or other kinds of personal repercussions for taking political positions that reflect their sincerely held convictions.
Petitioners are asking the House to support Bill C-257, and in other areas, to defend the right of Canadians to peacefully express their political opinions.
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- Oct/5/23 10:19:43 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the next petition I would like to present is regarding the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. The petitioners note that Falun Gong is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline that consists of meditation, exercises and moral teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, tolerance and compassion. The petitioners reflect on the horrific campaign of persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, which goes back a number of decades, as well as the work done by David Matas and David Kilgour in uncovering forced organ harvesting.
Petitioners want to see Canada do more to combat these acts of violence and to stand up for Falun Gong practitioners and other victims, including Uyghurs, Christians, democracy activists and other victims of violence perpetrated by the CCP regime.
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- Oct/5/23 10:20:35 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the third petition I am presenting deals with proposals for the politicization of charitable status determinations. The petitioners note a past Liberal Party platform commitment aimed at politicizing charitable status and denying charitable status to organizations that happen to reflect a set of values that is different from that of the Liberal Party.
The petitioners note that this could jeopardize the charitable status and the ability to fundraise of organizations such as hospitals, houses of worship, schools, homeless shelters and other charitable organizations that are simply trying to serve the communities in which they find themselves but would not want to pass a Liberal values test.
If the member is suggesting that—
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- Oct/5/23 10:22:33 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate that the member for Winnipeg North is concerned about the politicization of the House of Commons. We certainly would not want to see that happening.
The petitioners say:
The government has previously used a "values test" to discriminate against worthy applicants to the Canada Summer Jobs Program, denying funding to any organization which was not willing to check a box endorsing political positions of the governing party;
Charities and other non-profit organizations should not be discriminated against on the basis of their political views or religious values and should not be subject to a politicized "values test"; and
All Canadians have a right under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to freedom of expression without discrimination.
I am happy to reflect those concerns of petitioners without, in any way, commenting on my personal views on the matter, in order to satisfy the member for Winnipeg North.
Petitioners call on all members to protect and preserve the application of charitable status on a politically and ideologically neutral basis, without discrimination, and to affirm the right of all Canadians to freedom of expression. That is the view of some very wise petitioners.
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- Oct/5/23 10:24:00 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the fourth and final petition I will table for today is from petitioners who are deeply concerned about proposals to legalize the killing of children under the rubric of so-called medical assistance in dying. The petitioners find these proposals deeply disturbing, and they call on the Government of Canada to block any attempt to allow the killing of children in Canada.
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