Mr. Speaker, I have a couple of petitions to present today from the fine folks in my riding of Niagara West.
The first petition talks about Bill C-9 and the petitioners' concern around the Liberal-Bloc amendments to Bill C-9, an act to amend the Criminal Code in relation to hate propaganda, hate crime and access to religion or cultural places, which could be used to criminalize passages from the Bible, the Quran, the Torah and other sacred texts.
I have another petition to present on Bill C-9. Once again, there are thousands of signatures from people in Niagara West. The concerns of petitioners are that the state has no place in the religious texts or teaching of any faith community, and that freedom of expression and freedom of religion are fundamental rights that must be preserved.
Therefore, the petitioning citizens and residents call upon the Government of Canada to protect religious freedom; to uphold the right to read and share sacred texts; and to prevent government overreach when it comes to matters of faith.