Thank you, Madam Chair.
I hung on the minister's every word as she spoke of the woman entrepreneur from Montreal who started a pickle company. I wish the minister had brought a sample, so that we could have a taste of this lady's success; perhaps the minister will do so during her next visit.
On a more serious note, I'd like to thank the witnesses for being here today.
The issue we're discussing with you is an important one. In my opinion, it's all the more important because it's so timely. My Conservative colleague spoke earlier about the protest that took place this week on October 7, a particularly significant date in this case. During the protest, people said things that were beyond comprehension. I can't recall ever hearing such violent language used during protests in Quebec or Canada. I could be wrong—others can correct me—but it seems to me that we're hearing more and more of it, and we sense that some people believe it's legitimate, in the current context, to utter remarks that any reasonable person would say exceed the limits of what we consider to be freedom of expression in Canada. Saying things like “death to Canada, death to the United States and death to Israel” and burning a nation's flag is unacceptable here.
Minister, you say that you are quite prepared to take measures to counter this type of speech. However, a bill tabled by my party calls for the removal from the Criminal Code of the religious exemption, i.e., a section of the Criminal Code that allows a person to make this kind of statement if it is made under the guise of religious belief. I don't think I'm mistaken, but it seems to me that there's a kind of consensus within the parties and in the House of Commons that the exemption makes little sense, especially when we see protests like the one on Monday, and when we hear remarks like those made by Adil Charkaoui on November 8, 2023. I'll quote his extremely violent remarks:
Allah, deal with these Zionist aggressors. Allah, deal with the enemies of the people of Gaza. Allah, count them all and then exterminate them. And do not spare a single one!
Under the guise of his religious beliefs, that person may make such statements in public in Quebec and Canada.
You've put forward your policy, your plan to combat hate. Although this proposal is on the table, it makes no mention of the desire to remove the religious exemption from the Criminal Code.
I'd like to hear your opinion on that.