I think it's really important when we talk about this legislation that we want to ensure the Criminal Code works to protect all religious communities in Canada. That's what the charter requires: that every faith group is entitled to the full and equal protection of the law.
We don't want to make this about my group versus your group; it's about ensuring that every group has the same protection.
Thank you, Mr. Lawton, for bringing attention to some of the very profound concerns that we and many others have about the number of churches that have been burned to the ground in Canada. We are equally concerned about attacks and vandalism directed at synagogues and mosques. This is an issue that we all recognize is a problem in our country. That's why we're here.
This isn't something we want to ignore. The question is this: What's the best way to address it? That's what we speak to in our written brief.