Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise on this International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. This event is quite timely, since the chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission tabled his annual report only two days ago.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs rightly pointed out that Canada plays a leading role in the relentless fight against racism, hatred and prejudice.
Nonetheless, the report tabled by the chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission seriously tarnishes Canada's leadership in the global struggle against racism.
The commissioner notes that the government has backtracked on the amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act that concern gays and lesbians. In this regard, he points out that this calls into question Canada's so-called leadership in the area of human rights, violates moral logic, and denies in a quasi-public way the many rights of good law-abiding, tax-paying Canadians.
The commissioner shows that the government must go beyond lip service and show through concrete actions, through Canada's human rights legislation, that it wants to remain in the forefront of the fight against racism around the world.
This example shows that the struggle against racism can never end and that even Canada is not beyond lowering its guard. We can only welcome yesterday's announcement by the Prime Minister that he would honour his commitment to the gay and lesbian communities.
By marking this important day, we as Canadians and Quebecers must make a clear commitment to avoid letting up on human rights, as the commissioner pointed out. We must make it a basic duty to pursue the fight against injustice and racial intolerance, both within our borders through model legislation and abroad through effective and targeted action.