Mr. Speaker, the second petition is with respect to the plight of Afghanistan's Sikh and Hindu minorities, who are very hard pressed.
The petitioners ask that the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship use the powers granted to him to create a special program to help persecuted minorities in Afghanistan receive direct sponsorship to come to Canada. I know that this is an initiative that has had the support of Conservatives, New Democrats and Greens, but so far no support from Liberal members.
The petitioners also call on the Minister of Foreign Affairs to highlight the issues of persecution with his Afghan counterparts.