Mr. Speaker, this morning I have the pleasure to table a petition signed by people from my riding of Mississauga—Streetsville and other parts of the greater Toronto area who are concerned about the ongoing war in Sri Lanka. They seek to halt the violence and begin the peace process.
Those who have attached their names are particularly concerned with innocent people whose lives are threatened and for the well-being of countless innocent civilians. A quarter of a million people are trapped in this war zone. These innocent victims are desperately in need of food, medicine, care and protection.
The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to use every diplomatic means at its disposal to seek an immediate ceasefire and to work with the international community to pressure the government of Sri Lanka and its military to respect the human rights of the civilian Tamil population. They also call to end the embargo on food, medicine and other essential items to the combat zone, and restore freedom of the press and freedom of the movement of the UN.
Last, they call for immediate negotiations toward a political solution to the war after the ceasefire.