The Canadian Muslim Vote Is Recognized!

Liberal MP Shaun Chen made a statement in the House recognizing the efforts of the Canadian Muslim Vote, from increasing voter turn out during the last federal election to our goal of raising Canadian flags at 150 mosques across Canada in honour of Canada’s 150th birthday. MP Chen acknowledged the importance of mosques not only within Muslim communities, but within the greater Canadian community as “an integral part of the multicultural fabric of our society.”.

Bill C-306 – The Crimean Tartar Deportation (“Sürgünlik”) Memorial Day Act

This is a private member’s bill introduced by Conservative MP Kerry Diotte which would enact May 18 as a memorial day in recognition of the 1994 genocide perpetrated by the USSR, in which millions of Tartars were deported from Crimea.

The Crimean Tartars are ethnic groups that are predominantly Muslim. Upon the liberation of the Crimean state in 1944 by the Soviet Union, the government ordered that all Tartars be removed from the region and moved to labour camps in Uzbekistan. The Bill, in addition to designating a memorial day, would have Canada recognize the Soviet governments actions against the Tartars as genocide.

Continuing to Stand with Aleppo

The Liberal MP Michael Levitt, stood to remind that “the residents of Aleppo, including 100,000 children, are struggling for their lives amid unimaginable horror.” This came on the heels of an emergency meeting at the Subcommittee on Human Rights, where the “White Helmets” reported that children are being attacked indiscriminately by attacks from the Assad regime and extremist groups.

The MP urged for an inquiry into the violations of international law by the parties involved in the crisis in Syria.

Iran

Conservative MP Tom Kmiec stated to the House that last week the foreign affairs minister and two of his Liberal colleagues held a private round table on appeasing Iran. The meeting was unfairly balanced toward supporters of Iran. Missing were critics of Iran's human rights abuses, such as Iran’s religious minorities: Baha'is, Baluch, and Iranian Kurds. MP Tom Kmiec asked the foreign affairs minister why the government was engaging in such a biased manner?  The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Omar Alghabra, responded by saying that the government is open to discussion with individuals with a range of views and beliefs and has in fact met members of the Baha'i community.