Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the people of Richmond Hill South. It is a real honour to present this petition.
The petitioners are concerned that the Prime Minister has welcomed the European Commission president's proposal for Canada to join the EU as an associate member. The petitioners are concerned that Canadians have endured years of Liberal immigration mismanagement and do not want EU-style, open-border policies imposed on Canada or Canadian taxpayer dollars to be used to directly or indirectly fund EU programs. They believe that Canadian laws, borders and taxes must be controlled by Canadians, not EU politicians and bureaucrats, and that Canada is a sovereign nation and will never be the EU's 28th member state.
Therefore, the petitioners are calling upon the Government of Canada to, number one, immediately disclose all discussions and proposals concerning Canada's potential associate membership to the EU; number two, reject any agreement that would surrender Canadian sovereignty or impose EU immigration policies, laws, taxes or regulations on Canadians; and, number three, guarantee that Canada will not become a member of the EU.