Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise virtually in the chamber on behalf of the good people of Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola.
I will be sharing my time with the member for Port Moody—Coquitlam.
Earlier today, the member for Wellington—Halton Hills shared with us chilling and horrific accounts of the atrocities Uighurs are facing in China. The details and evidence are well documented and are very disturbing. Let there be no doubt that this is genocide.
I will even go a step further to suggest that this is literally a textbook example of the horror that is a genocide. Let us make no mistake about that. Deep down, I do not believe there is a member in this place that is in doubt of that fact. Indeed, we have heard current and former members of the Liberal caucus publicly voice that view.
I mention that today because, ultimately, I believe what we are really here today to debate is this question: Why does the Prime Minister refuse to stand up for some of the world's most vulnerable people, the Uighurs, and rightfully call out and condemn this as genocide?
I believe all of us know part of the answer. It is not because the Prime Minister is afraid to use the term “genocide”. Indeed, he has stated that a genocide has occurred here in Canada. Therefore, why is there a refusal to call it a genocide against the Uighurs? We all know the answer. It is because the Prime Minister, for whatever reason, refuses to stand up to the Chinese Communist Party government.
We do not know why that is. It has gotten so bad that even the Liberal member for Malpeque has had to stand up and tell the Prime Minister to “wake up and smell the roses” when it comes to China.
I highly doubt that any member of the House would disagree with the advice the member for Malpeque gave the Prime Minister.
I applaud the member for Malpeque for calling his leader on his bad behaviour, especially since he knows what happened to former Liberal member Jane Philpott, who dared to speak her mind and challenge the Prime Minister on his bad behaviour. When a Liberal member dares to criticize their boss's bad behaviour, that can spell the end of their career. That is exactly what the member for Malpeque did. This motion is our opportunity to send a strong message to the Prime Minister.
Let us never forget that, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Canadians gather to pay tribute to the many courageous Canadians who made so many sacrifices for our country. They left their homes, their loved ones and their families not only to serve Canada but also to resist tyranny and oppression and fight for the most vulnerable. That is how Canada operated back in the day.
I am deeply concerned about the fact that this has changed under the current Prime Minister. If we allow the Prime Minister to ignore the atrocities and the genocide being perpetrated on the Uighur people in China, his failure will be Canada's failure. We cannot allow that to happen. That is not the Canada I believe in.
I am wondering if that is the Canada the government believes in, a Canada that looks the other way, that does nothing about genocide. This all stems from the fact that we have a Prime Minister who is completely incapable of standing up to the Chinese Communist government.
I would like to share a quote from Irwin Cotler. He said, “Indifference in such mass atrocities, let alone genocide, always means coming down on the side of the victimizer and not on the side of the victims.” This is the path that the Prime Minister is trying to put us on, the side of the victimizer. Again, I ask why. It is because, when it comes to the Chinese Communist government, the Prime Minister refuses to stand up and show leadership.
Let me read that quote again from Irwin Cotler. He said, “Indifference in such mass atrocities, let alone genocide, always means coming down on the side of the victimizer and not on the side of the victims.”
I ask a simple question. Who will members stand with? Will they sit with the Prime Minister in silence and come down on the side of the victimizer, or will they take a stand on behalf of the Uighur people and support this motion?
Let us be clear what this motion is asking us to do. Leaving out all the preamble today, we, as members of Parliament, are being asked to support recognizing that a genocide is currently being carried out by the People's Republic of China against Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims, and to call on the government to officially adopt this position. This is precisely what Mr. Cotler and a great many others are asking Canada to do. Today, one can take that stand, or one can continue to sit in silence.
Before concluding my remarks, I would like to ask everyone a simple question.
Ultimately, our time here is limited. When we look back and think about the time we spent here, we will all undoubtedly have good memories. Let us hope that we will not have many regrets.
Let us ask ourselves this question: If each one of us decided to sit in silence today and to join the Prime Minister in opposing this motion, would this be one of our best memories?
Today, we have an opportunity as members to stand up and send a powerful message. In doing so, we continue Canada's long-standing and proud history of standing up for human rights and defending the most vulnerable. I believe this is the Canadian way. As members of this place, and as Canadians, let us stand united. We need to adopt this motion.