Mr. Speaker, as the House knows, the 76 Tamil people who landed in British Columbia are claiming refugee status. The Tamil people seek refuge due to the injustices they experience each and every day from their government merely because they are Tamils.
Even as we speak, over 250,000 people are languishing in displacement camps exposed to the elements and in unsanitary conditions.
In that context, these Sri Lankans seek refuge and justice in Canada. Justice must not only be done but it must be seen to be done.
I would urge the government not to get distracted by immediate irrelevancies but to apply the law swiftly and fairly. Each individual on Canadian soil is guaranteed the security of his or her person and cannot be deprived thereof, except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice. Each of these 76 cases will be unique and the law must be applied fairly to each according to its merits.
People fleeing Sri Lankan injustice and seeking Canadian justice have a right to expect the expeditious application of our laws.