Garnett Genuis

[Petitions, October 29th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the next petition that I am tabling is in support of a private member's bill that I have tabled in the House, Bill C-257. It is an important bill, according to petitioners, who say that Canadians have a right to be protected against discrimination and that Canadians can and do face political discrimination. Petitioners note that it is a fundamental right to be politically active and that discrimination on the basis of political views can limit people's ability to be actively involved in the political conversation.

Bill C-257 would add political belief and activity as prohibited grounds of discrimination within the Canadian Human Rights Act. Petitioners ask the House to support Bill C-257, which bans discrimination on the basis of political belief or activity. They want to see the House act to defend the rights of Canadians to peacefully express their political opinions.

[Petitions, October 29th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I do want to assure members that I was as surprised as anyone when this petition was sent to my office. I am but a servant of the people in this chamber, and if my constituents want me to petition the House to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime, I can assure all hon. members that I will do that, regardless of my own personal views on that subject.

As I was saying, in addition to asking the House to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime, petitioners would like an immediate non-confidence vote in this failed NDP-Liberal government to bring about a carbon tax election, in which case Canadians would be able to vote to end the carbon tax everywhere and for good.

I do commend this petition on axing the tax, building the homes, fixing the budget and stopping the crime to the consideration of the House. I would also encourage members in the future to follow my example of avoiding statements of personal opinions when they table a petition.

[Petitions, October 29th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it seems that some members, during petitions, have ventured into expressing their own personal opinions on subjects. I think it is important to remind members to be studiously careful as to only share the petitioners' views, not their own personal view.

With that in mind, I am tabling a petition that I received from my constituents, which asks the House to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime. Petitioners observe that, after eight years, it is clear that the Prime Minister is not worth the cost, the crime or the corruption. Further, petitioners note that the failed Prime Minister and his failed NDP-Liberal government have increased the cost of everything and have failed to take responsibility for their failures. Petitioners are also saying that crime, chaos, drugs and disorder are filling our streets due to the failed policies of the Prime Minister and his NDP-Liberal government.

Without sharing any of my own views on the subject, I want to note that petitioners are asking the House to axe the tax, build the home, fix the budget and stop the crime. Petitioners are further asking for an immediate—

[Petitions, October 10th, 2024]

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.

[Petitions, October 10th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, the next petition is from Canadians who are very concerned about the government's approach to natural health products. There are changes that are, at best, a solution in search of a problem and, at worst, a pernicious attack on these products and those who use them in order to stay healthy.

The petitioners note that changes made in the last Liberal omnibus budget have had the effect of making it much more difficult to be in the business of producing natural health products. They have driven up the cost and had an impact on the accessibility of these products, especially for middle- and low-income Canadians.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to reverse the changes made in the last Liberal budget regarding natural health products and to support the Conservative private member's bill that would do precisely that.

[Petitions, October 10th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I am presenting a petition that draws attention to the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

The petitioners note that Falun Gong is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline. It consists of meditation exercises and moral teaching based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance.

The petitioners note that, since the summer of 1999, the Chinese Communist Party has undertaken an intensive persecution campaign seeking to eradicate Falun Gong. That persecution has included forced labour, brainwashing centres and prisons, and torture. Thousands of people have died as a result.

Further, the petition highlights the history of forced organ harvesting and trafficking that we have combatted in the House through a piece of legislation that finally passed in the current Parliament.

Petitioners call for further steps from the government, including passing a resolution to establish measures to stop the CCP's crime of systematically murdering Falun Gong practitioners and calling publicly for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong.

[Petitions, October 10th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, the next petition draws attention to the human rights challenges in Eritrea, as well as foreign interference that is being caused by the Eritrean regime.

By way of introduction, the petitioners note that Eritrea has been called the North Korea of Africa. It has been ruled by an authoritarian, brutal dictator under a totalitarian system for the last 30 years. It has no constitution, no elections, no parliament, no freedom of the press and no freedom of movement or association.

Eritreans continue to flee indefinite military conscription, religious persecution and political repression. Hundreds of thousands of Eritreans have fled to escape these severe human rights abuses. These abuses have been documented by the UN commission of inquiry on Eritrea. Many who flee still face intimidation and extortion from representatives of the regime. When members of a family seek refuge abroad, they worry about their family in Eritrea being harassed and forced to pay huge sums of money.

The petitioners highlight various instances of foreign interference that have happened in Canada and elsewhere. They also highlight the collaboration between the Eritrean dictator and Vladimir Putin.

Therefore, the petitioners call on the government to engage actively with Eritrean political and human rights activists and pro-democracy groups; to challenge the Eritrean dictator's human rights abuses at home and his strategic collaboration with other authoritarian powers, such as the Russian government; and to do more to combat foreign interference here in Canada to ensure that we do not have refugee or other immigration applicants who are affiliated with the regime.

The petitioners call for strengthened sanctions against human rights abusers in Ethiopia. They also want to see the release of a number of imprisoned parliamentarians, as well as Swedish Eritrean journalist Dawit Isaak, who I believe is the longest-imprisoned journalist in the world.

[Petitions, October 10th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, the next group of petitioners would like to bring to the attention of the House that killing children is always wrong regardless of the circumstances, the level of development or dependency involved.

The petitioners draw attention to a recommendation by Dr. Louis Roy, of the Quebec college of physicians, recommending the expansion of euthanasia to “babies from birth to one year of age who come into the world with severe deformities and very serious syndromes.” The petitioners are opposed to this proposal. Frankly, they are horrified that someone would propose it in Canada's Parliament.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to block any attempts to allow the killing of children in Canada.

[Petitions, October 10th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, the next petition I am tabling is in support of Bill C-257, a private member's bill that I put forward in the House, aimed at combatting the pernicious phenomenon of political discrimination.

The petitioners note that Canadians have a right to be protected against discrimination and that they can and do face political discrimination, which is discrimination on the basis of their political views. There is no reference to political belief or activity currently in the Canadian Human Rights Act as a prohibited grounds of discrimination. Bill C-257 would add political belief and activity as prohibited grounds of discrimination.

The petitioners therefore call on the House to support Bill C-257 and to defend the rights of Canadians to peacefully express their political opinions free from political discrimination.

[Petitions, October 10th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, an important part of public service is presenting petitions on behalf of one's constituents, whether one agrees with them. I am tabling a petition, without commenting on my personal perspective, asking the government to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime.

The petitioners, of their own accord, have observed that after nine years it is clear that the Prime Minister is not worth the cost, the crime or the corruption. Further, the failed Prime Minister and his failed NDP-Liberal government have increased the cost of everything and failed to take responsibility for their failures. Further, the petitioners believe that crime, chaos, drugs and disorder are filling our streets due to the failed policies of the Prime Minister and his NDP-Liberal government.

The petitioners therefore are calling on the government to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime. Further, they would like to see an immediate non-confidence vote in order to replace the NDP-Liberal government and bring about a carbon tax election in which Canadians would be able to vote to end the carbon tax everywhere and for good.

I thank the constituents for their public service in helping me bring this petition to the House today.