Qujannamiik.
NDP-1 is an amendment on which I've consulted with civil liberties associations here in Canada. If approved, it would remove the portion of the bill dealing with symbols. This portion of the bill is problematic for several reasons.
First, it requires a defence for not being aware of the association with the symbol.
Second, the words “principally used by” or “principally associated with” are a problem because we don't know who needs to be having that association. The association of symbols can vary from community to community. The best example of that is the kaffiyeh, the traditional scarf worn by Palestinians.
The third reason this portion of the bill is problematic is that it relies on the terrorist list, which allows for potential political misuse by future governments.
To conclude, I would like to share very quickly that the organizations that expressed concerns about the symbols portion of this bill include the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, the National Council of Canadian Muslims, Independent Jewish Voices and Egale.
While I have the floor, I wanted to share very quickly that because this bill was expedited the way it was, it was quite difficult to make sure we heard from as many people as possible. I've heard a lot of opposition to this bill. Preferably, it would be a bill that we can't support, but the only way to ensure that the NDP voice was heard and that the NDP could amplify the voices of these organizations was to submit this amendment.
Qujannamiik.