Madam Speaker, next, I am presenting a petition regarding the human rights situation in Hong Kong as it relates to potential immigration to Canada.
The petitioners note that the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act renders foreign nationals inadmissible to Canada if they have committed or been convicted of an offence abroad. However, many people in Hong Kong have been arbitrarily charged and convicted simply because of their involvement with the pro-democracy movement. That includes national security law-related offences, as well as cases where people have been arbitrarily charged and convicted under other statutes, not the national security law.
The petitioners call on the government to create a mechanism by which Hong Kong people with pro-democracy-related convictions may provide an explanation for such convictions. On that basis, the government could grant exemptions to Hong Kong people who would otherwise be deemed inadmissible based on this criminality determination.
The petitioners also want to see our government work with other like-minded governments on a fair and reasonable mechanism to achieve this end.