43rd PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION House of Commons Debates Official Report (Hansard) VOLUME 149 NUMBER 010 Wednesday, January 29, 2020 Speaker: The Honourable Anthony Rota CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 623 HOUSE OF COMMONS Wednesday, January 29, 2020 The House met at 2 p.m. UKRAINE INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES FLIGHT PS752 Mr. Kerry Diotte (Edmonton Griesbach, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I want to commemorate the victims of Ukraine International Airlines Prayer flight PS752. One hundred and seventy-six innocent people lost their lives ● (1405) when this plane was shot down by the Iranian military. Fifty-seven [Translation] were Canadians; of those, 13 were Edmontonians. The Speaker: It being Wednesday, we will now have the singing Loved ones of these victims deserve immediate answers. Howev‐ of the national anthem, led by the member for Charlesbourg— er, their grief has been compounded because they are not getting Haute-Saint-Charles. those answers. Instead, they have suffered through a cover-up since day one. [Members sang the national anthem] Iranian authorities must be transparent and fully co-operate with independent agencies investigating this horrific event. Families also deserve that the remains of their loved ones are allowed to be repa‐ STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS triated to Canada as soon as possible. Anything less is completely unacceptable. These loved ones have suffered enough. [English] * * * INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY TAMIL HERITAGE MONTH Mr. Michael Levitt (York Centre, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, this past Monday was International Holocaust Remembrance Day, when we Ms. Jennifer O'Connell (Pickering—Uxbridge, Lib.): Mr. remembered the murder of over six million Jews during World War Speaker, four years ago, the House unanimously approved Motion II. No. 24, designating January as Tamil Heritage Month. This year also marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Tamil Canadians have had a significant impact on the fabric of Auschwitz. our society. Canada has been strengthened by the contributions of over 300,000 Tamil Canadians living in every province and territo‐ On Monday, at Auschwitz-Birkenau, I joined the Governor Gen‐ ry across the country. eral, a multi-partisan group of MPs and over 200 Holocaust sur‐ vivors to mark this solemn day. The memory of the over one mil‐ In my community, organizations like the Durham Tamil Associa‐ lion Jews murdered there, relived on Monday through the testimony tion and the Tamil Cultural and Academic Society of Durham advo‐ of those who survived, must never be forgotten. cate tirelessly on behalf of the Tamil community with its continued fight for justice, accountability and reconciliation. On Monday, survivor Marian Turski urged the world to adopt an 11th commandment, “Thou shalt not be indifferent.” January is also the month Tamil Canadians celebrate the harvest festival, Thai Pongal, a time for friends and family to gather and For their legacy and ours, we must fight against a resurgence of celebrate a generous harvest. anti-Semitism and xenophobia and ensure that our vow of “never again” is matched by our commitment to combat anti-Semitism and I would like to thank my friend, the member for Scarborough— hatred in all its forms wherever it rears its ugly head. Rouge Park, for introducing Motion No. 24 and advocating this im‐ portant recognition. Let us each pledge, this day and every day, to never be indiffer‐ ent. Happy Tamil Heritage Month. 624 COMMONS DEBATES January 29, 2020 Statements by Members [Translation] A week ago, Jean-Philippe Payer, a teacher at École l'Odyssée de Val-Bélair, received the prestigious Governor General's History RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Award for Excellence in Teaching. Mr. Payer uses new technolo‐ Ms. Andréanne Larouche (Shefford, BQ): Mr. Speaker, three gies to capture the attention of his students. He set up a travelling years ago today, on January 29, 2017, everyone in our national cap‐ exhibit project with the support of the Huron-Wendat Nation. The ital and across Quebec was shaken by an unforgettable tragedy. We award was presented at Rideau Hall by Her Excellency the Right were shocked to learn that a man had opened fire at the Quebec Honourable Julie Payette. City mosque. Six people were killed. Eight others were injured, and countless loved ones and witnesses are still living with the after‐ The people of Louis-Saint-Laurent give me a lot to be proud of. math of this unspeakable attack. Three years later, we continue to stand in solidarity with our friends in the Muslim community. * * * [English] On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I want the families and loved ones of the victims, as well as the entire Muslim community in MAYA ZIBAIE Quebec, to know that we are here to support them, listen to them and work with them. Every single one of us must be free to practise Mr. Robert Oliphant (Don Valley West, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, on our religion with security and dignity. January 8, travelling back to Canada after spending time with her family in Iran, Maya Zibaie tragically died, along with 175 others, * * * when flight PS752 was shot down out of the skies over Tehran. RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Maya was a grade 10 student at Northern Secondary School in Ms. Emmanuella Lambropoulos (Saint-Laurent, Lib.): Mr. Don Valley West. Speaker, we all remember this day three years ago when a man walked into the great mosque in Quebec City and took the lives of [Translation] six people, injured 19 others, and forever changed the lives of nu‐ Maya was brilliant, ambitious and always ready to help her merous families simply because they were Muslim. Today we com‐ friends. memorate the lives of the victims of this terrorist attack, including Azzedine Soufiane, who is seen as a hero by his community for [English] having saved many lives by running at the shooter and trying to stop him. She was an eager learner who quickly moved from ESL classes to grade 10 English, while helping her friends with their academic [English] work. What hurts the most about this attack is that it hit so close to home, that it happened in my home province of Quebec, that it hap‐ [Translation] pened to Canadians. An attack on one Canadian is an attack on all Maya was looking forward to going to university in a few years Canadians. and often discussed her future with everyone. Her teachers and [Translation] friends described her as a kind, happy and caring person who al‐ ways had a smile on her face. Each of these victims chose Canada for the opportunities avail‐ able in this country to live a better, peaceful life. We must work to‐ [English] gether to build a better world where everyone feels safe, regardless of their race, religion or origin. Islamophobia and hate crimes of Don Valley West and Northern Secondary School have lost a any kind have no place in Canada. wonderful neighbour, friend and student. This tragedy has gripped all of us in our entire country. * * * ● (1410) Our thoughts are with Maya, her family and friends, and North‐ ern Secondary School. She will be greatly missed. PATRICE CARDIN AND JEAN-PHILIPPE PAYER Mr. Gérard Deltell (Louis-Saint-Laurent, CPC): Mr. Speaker, * * * I am extremely proud to represent the people of Louis-Saint-Lau‐ RELIGIOUS FREEDOM rent here in the House of Commons. I would like to draw the atten‐ tion of the House to two of those people who distinguished them‐ Mr. Arif Virani (Parkdale—High Park, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, selves recently. this weekend, I was at an Ismaili Muslim mosque with my two sons. As I struggled to keep my restless sons focused, I realized ac‐ On November 25, I presented the Sacrifice Medal to Patrice tually how lucky I was that my biggest challenge that day was qui‐ Cardin. Mr. Cardin served in the Canadian Armed Forces with hon‐ eting my kids. our and dignity for many years. He also volunteers with the cadet movement and is involved in causes that support CF members with Three years ago, Muslim parents in Quebec City were not so post-traumatic stress disorder. lucky. January 29, 2020 COMMONS DEBATES 625 Statements by Members [Translation] space that will allow for families and young people to learn, grow and play. On January 29, 2017, parents at the Centre culturel islamique did not have the chance to discipline their children because they were trying to protect them from a terrorist who was so consumed by Just this month two young athletes, Maddie Schizas and Lia hate that he fired on Muslims who were praying. While trying to Pereira, who trained at the Milton Skating Club, finished on the protect their children, six innocent men lost their lives simply be‐ podium at the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. cause they were Muslims. [English] Recognizing this as a murderous Islamophobic act is critical. In the spirit of my riding's commitment to active living, I am However, equally critical is ensuring that Muslim Canadians, in‐ happy to announce that on February 2, between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., I deed every Canadian, can feel safe in their place of worship. will be hosting a free skate at that Sherwood Community Centre. I have heard there is a little football game going on that night, but Those six heroes will have died in vain if we do not as parlia‐ those who would rather participate in a sport than watch it are wel‐ mentarians redouble our efforts to combat the hatred that spawned come to come and join us at Sherwood. this act of terror. That is the work I am committed to do, and I in‐ vite every member of the House to join me.