Mr. Speaker, members of the House, it is with pleasure that I rise before you today to speak to the motion of the hon. member for Etobicoke—Lakeshore.
The Government of Canada recognizes diversity as a fundamental and enduring characteristic of Canadian society. This country represents a coming together of many peoples who have learned over time to respect and mutually accept each other. This is what sets Canadians apart.
Almost 20 years ago, in 1988, the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney implemented the Canadian Multiculturalism Act, making Canada the first country in the world to adopt official legislation related to multiculturalism.
Today the Canadian approach to embracing and managing diversity is a distinguishing characteristic of our country. The government actively aims to foster social cohesion and to build an inclusive society that is open to and respectful of all Canadians no matter their ethnic origin, race or religion.
Canada has a solid legal framework that supports the principles of diversity, multiculturalism and the rights of all individuals. The Government of Canada is fully supportive of these principles. We believe this foundation enshrined in our Constitution helps ensure Canadians are protected from racism and discrimination.
We will continue to address emerging issues so that all Canadians have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. We are working to strengthen the bonds of trust and loyalty, to build a strong Canadian society which recognizes and promotes its shared values in Canada and internationally.
Through the multiculturalism program of the Department of Canadian Heritage, the government is working to build connections across diverse communities, connections that translate into cross-community and cross-cultural commitments to principles of freedom, mutual respect, and respect for the law. These principles are the foundation that enables diversity to flourish in Canada.
The Government of Canada has built relationships with a large number of ethnocultural communities and organizations to strengthen the social cohesion and the inclusive society that we are committed to foster.
Departments and agencies are working together to help ensure Canada is an equitable society. An example of such an initiative is the Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security, in which the Department of Canadian Heritage is working with the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness to ensure that security measures which are essential to public safety do not have an adverse effect on our ethnocultural communities.
The round table engages Canada's diverse communities in an ongoing dialogue in matters related to national security. It provides a forum to discuss emerging trends and developments arising from national security matters. The round table also provides insights on how national security measures may impact Canada's diverse communities and promotes the protection of civil order, mutual respect and common understanding.
This is a very important role because, as we all know, there are challenges associated with preserving human rights and civil liberties in this time of heightened security. I think we could all agree that we must continually work to achieve a proper balance between preserving those rights and freedoms and ensuring a safe and a secure society for all our citizens.
Canada is recognized worldwide as a nation where the principles of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law are respected and practised. Nations from around the world look to this country as a model of a healthy, well-functioning pluralistic society.
An example of this international recognition can be found in the Aga Khan's decision to partner with Canada to establish a new Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa and also in His Holiness the Dalai Lama's decision to locate his international centre for peace and education in Vancouver.
The Global Centre for Pluralism, to which our government has committed $30 million, will promote pluralism internationally as a means to advance good governance, peace and human development. It will support academic and professional development, provide advisory services and support research and learning in developed and developing countries. This is just one example of how we are proud to share our experiences and success with other nations.
The government is moving forward to provide an additional $5.9 million annually over the next five years to the multiculturalism program's budget of $13 billion. This additional funding will allow for improved targeting of programs to address issues and challenges ethnocultural and ethnoracial communities are facing today. It will allow us to do more by paying a particular interest to issues such as marginalization of ethnocultural and ethnoracial youth, labour market integration of foreign trained professionals, and ethnocultural and ethnoracial official language minority communities and the ability of these communities to work effectively with the federal government.
We will increase our outreach efforts to vulnerable ethnocultural and ethnoracial communities across the country to help them address these emerging and critical issues. Through the inclusive institutions initiative, we are encouraging federal institutions to take action to create a level playing field for Canadians of all ethnocultural and ethnoracial backgrounds. This initiative of $12.5 million over five years will provide matching funds to federal institutions to develop tools for building internal capacity to respond to ethnocultural and ethnoracial diversity and support community based projects.
On the issue of historical recognition, this government did the right thing when the Prime Minister, as promised, made a formal apology on June 22, 2006, in the House of Commons on behalf of the people of Canada for the Chinese head tax. This action was long overdue. It recognized a historical wrong that had a profound impact on the Chinese Canadian community, a community that has made a great contribution to the building of Canada.
This government also announced that it would make symbolic ex gratia payments of $20,000 to living head-tax payers and to the spouses of deceased head-tax payers in order to give deeper meaning to the apology. We have followed up on our promise to put this symbolic payment program into place quickly.
In addition, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women announced two programs designed to commemorate the historical experiences of all ethnocultural communities that have been affected by immigration restrictions or wartime measures such as internment. We want to educate Canadians, particularly youth, about these experiences and to highlight the contributions of these communities to Canada.
The community historical recognition program will make available $24 million for community projects and initiatives. As well, the national historical recognition program will devote $10 million to federal projects and initiatives that will ensure the experiences of these communities become known as part of the official story of Canada.
We have been consulting with the Chinese Canadian community, the Indo Canadian community, the Ukrainian Canadian community, and the Italian Canadian community and will continue to meet with communities that have been affected in order to ensure that these events of the past, which are so out of keeping with our present-day values, are widely known and never repeated. The government is also consulting with other communities affected by past wartime and immigration restrictions in order to recognize their historic experiences.
We will continue to work together toward common goals to build a strong and inclusive Canada. One of these common goals, as stated by the Prime Minister, is the full participation of all Canadians. Our government is fully committed to achieving this goal.
It is clear to me that programs and initiatives that eliminate racism and discrimination, support full participation and make institutions reflective of the diverse population they serve, are crucial to creating a more inclusive and respectful society, one where every person, regardless of race, ethnicity, colour or religion, contributes to building a greater Canada.
This is the Canada we are building, a Canada where multiculturalism and respect for diversity are fundamental characteristics and values.