Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate a group of young citizens from my riding of Lac-Saint-Louis, Ally Hobson, Douglas Slobod, Alex Timmons and others, who have contacted me with grave concerns about police interventions against protestors at last summer's G20 in Toronto.
These bright and engaged young people, the lawyers, doctors, teachers, scientists and political leaders of tomorrow, are so concerned about the chilling effects of police actions at the G20 on the future rights of citizens to free assembly and protest that they have signed a petition calling for an independent public inquiry into the matter.
Specifically the group supports the various recommendations of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, including the call for an independent inquiry and a law reform initiative to ensure that Criminal Code provisions relating to breach of the peace, unlawful assemblies and riots are brought in line with constitutional standards.
I commend all these young constituents for their unshakeable idealism, namely for their keen awareness of the principles upon which a free and effective democracy rest. I also congratulate them for their courage to take action in support of these principles.
Our country's future is indeed in good hands with young people such as these.