Thank you, Mrs. Chair.
Good morning, gentlemen and women from the House of Commons, and colleagues. Thank you for the opportunity to have me share my views with the committee. I'm here in my capacity as the president of the Coalition of Progressive Canadian Muslim Organizations and as someone who came here as an immigrant and as a woman.
The Government of Canada's decision to table a bill for zero tolerance of barbaric cultural practices is the right move and should be welcomed. For too long women have been oppressed through polygamy and forced marriages.
I'll deviate from my speaking notes. I heard the discussion in the previous session about the word “barbaric”. I think we're stuck on that word. I think we should look at what exactly is going on and move on from the word “barbaric”. I am a Muslim Canadian, and I have some views on that. I think what it is, it is, and we should move on that. That a point that I would like to add.
Critics of the bill have suggested this action is tantamount to calling certain communities barbaric. This is hardly the case. The fact of the matter is that a culture is the sum of various norms and practices. Cultures are not static and they evolve. Part of the evolution is, or should be, discarding injustices against fellow adherents of the culture. Indeed, over time cultures such as ours have strived to put women on an equal footing with their male counterparts and do away with discrimination.
Who in their right mind can support coercion and honour killings? Bill S-7 does contain a number of sensible elements that all Canadians should embrace. The explicit outlawing of forced marriages and bringing precision to the general provincial practice that 16 is a minimum age for marriage is very reasonable. The provisions that will make it illegal to transport a child under 16 abroad for the purpose of marriage will certainly go a long way in preventing the trafficking of helpless young women. While critics have suggested that this is targeted at the Muslim community, let me remind the committee that forced marriages, honour killings, and trafficking are not restricted to the Muslim community alone.
By dealing with the issue of polygamy, the government is bringing into sync rules and norms for those who choose to come to Canada with its existing domestic law. Indeed, there is sufficient anecdotal evidence to suggest that the practice of polygamy exists within certain recent immigrants. Cases of polygamy in the Mormon community are already under scrutiny; and instead of being defensive or apologetic, the Muslim community in Canada must come out and denounce polygamy by exercising Islam's own tradition of independent thinking.
By pandering to extremists and retrograde opinions within immigrant communities for the sake of scoring political brownie points, we risk undermining the very fabric of Canadian society and debase the values of justice and liberty that this country has come to embody. The bill is really about protecting women and should be seen as a welcome step. People coming to Canada must conform to our values. They have to put aside their past understanding of women. In this country, men and women are equal before the law and in society.
Thank you.