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House Hansard - 330

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 12, 2024 02:00PM
Context: House Hansard - 330 - Jun/12/24
Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, CPC)
  • Jun/12/24 4:16:10 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the next petition is signed by members of the Eritrean community. It highlights a number of different human rights abuses that have taken place and are taking place in Eritrea. It notes that Eritrea has been ruled by an authoritarian, brutal dictator under a totalitarian system for the last 30 years with no constitution, no elections, no parliament, no freedom of the press and no freedom of movement or association. Eritreans continue to flee indefinite military conscription, religious persecution and political repression, causing them to take asylum in various places around the world. In addition to human rights abuses happening in Eritrea, petitioners highlight concerns about foreign interference here in Canada driven by the Eritrean regime, particularly the harassment and intimidation of members of the freedom-loving Eritrean diaspora who have fled to Canada. The petitioners also note that the Eritrean dictator is part of an axis of like-minded hostile authoritarian countries and collaborates with the Putin regime and other hostile belligerent states. Therefore, petitioners call on the government and the House to engage Eritrean political and human rights activists and pro-democracy groups to take a leadership role among western allies, to challenge the Eritrean dictator's malicious conspiracy with Putin, to investigate foreign interference of Eritrea in Canada and to take the appropriate action, including rejection of entry visas and the denial of event permits against all front organizations, individuals and events enabling their interference. They also call on the government to enforce Canada's asylum laws against those who explicitly provide material and political support to that regime and to advocate for the release of a number of imprisoned journalists and Eritrean parliamentarians, namely Dawit Isaak, Petros Solomon, Mahmoud Ahmed Sherifo, Haile Woldense, Ogbe Abraha, Hamid Himid, Saleh Idris Kekya, Estifanos Seyoum, Berhane Ghebrezgabiher, Astier Fesehazion, Germano Nati and Beraki Gebreselassie. Finally, they call on the government to strengthen sanctions against human rights abusers in Eritrea. I want to thank the community for working hard on this petition, and I am honoured to share their concerns with the House.
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