moved for leave to introduce Bill C-397, an act respecting conscientious objection to the use of taxes for military purposes.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce a private member's bill that would allow people who object on conscientious grounds to paying taxes for military purposes to have a prescribed percentage of their income tax diverted into a special account.
The bill would recognize the deeply held views, often related to deeply held religious convictions, of some Canadians that participating in any way in the activities of war and the accumulation of weapons sanctions and perpetuates killing and violence.
The bill would provide an important option for conscientious objection and would ensure that the tax dollars of those Canadians who hold these beliefs are spent for peaceful purposes.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)