Leah Gazan
Winnipeg Centre, Manitoba · NDP · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, this has been one of the most disappointing years of my nearly seven years in Parliament, watching the Carney government bulldoze constitutional rights and human rights. The final blow came this week when the Liberals tabled new water legislation after years of failing to end long-term boil advisories.”
“Mr. Speaker, this week the Liberals tabled water legislation that would fail to recognize clean drinking water as a human right. Today I stood with Grassy Narrows First Nation, where children continue to suffer mercury poisoning caused by decades of government and corporate neglect. This is a national disgrace.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to table e‑petition 7402 in response to Manitobans who are calling for a public health emergency in light of the preventable passing of too many community members in the recent weeks due to toxic drug supply.”
“Mr. Speaker, the minister tabled Bill C‑37 yesterday, yet its definition of “First Nation lands” is limited to reserve lands under section 91(24) of the BNA Act. While the bill repeatedly references UNDRIP's application, it appears restricted to reserves.”
“Mr. Speaker, I also rise today to table e‑petition 7135, which calls on the government to modernize the disability tax credit by revising its eligibility criteria and administrative interpretation to recognize the fluctuating episodic nature of disabilities such as multiple sclerosis and to align the DTC with the disability definition use…”
“Mr. Speaker, I would also like to rise today to table a petition to put in place a horse export ban. The citizens in my riding are calling on the residents of Canada to call on the government, through the Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture , to ban the live export of horses for slaughter by amending the health of animals regul…”
The complete record
Every one of 252 lines we hold for Leah Gazan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 6.
“colleague can tell me if he is really serious about his housing plan, if the Liberals will do anything to change the fact that their government put zero dollars toward addressing the ongoing genocide of indigenous women and girls, and if they will get serious and fund the North End Women's Centre.”
“Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague said that if we want to see how it is working, we should go to his riding. I would like him to come to my riding of Winnipeg Centre on Selkirk Avenue, ground zero for missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, where we are trying to get support for the North End Women's Centre. Funding this would save lives. The Liberal government has not committed to funding this. What does it mean? It means it will continue to be ground zero, where indigenous women will continue to go missing and be murdered. I am wondering if my hon.”
“Madam Speaker, I know the Liberal government is talking about Build Canada Homes, but one of the problems with the program is that there is actually no allocation for funding reserved for housing that has rent geared to income. On one hand the Liberals complain about encampments, but then they leave the most marginalized people, the ones who are in the most need of housing and who are the most housing-insecure, out of the program. I am wondering if my hon. colleague can explain why the government made that omission.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are promising massive profits to resource extraction companies by fast-tracking projects on indigenous lands while investing nothing in community safety. Violence against indigenous women and girls, including sexual assault, trafficking and child sexual exploitation, spikes around man camps. This is a reality that was confirmed in the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, yet this year's budget offers zero. Do our lives matter, or is the government going to turn its back on us yet again?”
“Mr. Speaker, food prices are exploding. Groceries are up 4% to 6%, costing the average household as much as $1,000 more per year. Experts point to extreme weather events, supply shocks and corporate greed. Not only do the Liberals not have a climate plan; they keep protecting their corporate friends, while people across Canada are starving for a fair deal at the checkout. When will the government act and deliver a real public option for food?”
“That means recognizing that no woman's life is disposable, no child's future is negotiable and no family's grief should be ignored. Let us build a country where the names of the 14 women who were taken at École Polytechnique are held with love; a country where indigenous families no longer stand in the snow and rain holding candles, time and time again, for their loved ones, particularly their daughters who never come home; a country where justice is not symbolic but lived; and a country where safety is an expectation, not a privilege. For those taken too early, for those still missing, for those carrying wounds, both visible and invisible, for those yet to be born, let this be the moment we choose action over sorrow, truth over silence, justice over delay. We owe it to all of them.”
“Both demand that we act with urgency and courage. The response must be as full and determined as the sorrow we carry. We honour the 14 women murdered at École Polytechnique by refusing to accept violence as inevitable. We honour indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people by refusing to allow their names to fade into silence. We honour all survivors by creating a world where equality is not an aspiration but a guarantee. That means real investments in safety for everyone. That means implementing the calls for justice. That means culturally grounded healing programs, safe housing, mental health supports, protection for two-spirit identity and accountability for institutions that have failed communities again and again.”
“It is the lived reality of communities who bury daughters and aunties far too young, the women who go missing outside of my front door, the very front door that is a block and a half away from where women were taken by a serial killer and left in a landfill, and people are refusing to search for us. We are valuable. We are worthy. We are precious. Our humanity, and seeing our humanity, matters. To honour the women of École Polytechnique is to honour all women who face violence, and to honour all women is to confront the specific violence faced by indigenous women and girls and gender-diverse people. These truths do not compete. They reinforce one another. One teaches us the cost of misogyny; the other shows us what happens when misogyny is multiplied by racism, colonial history and state neglect.”
“The targeting of indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people is part of an ongoing genocide in this country. It is something that was acknowledged by the Right Hon. Justin Trudeau as an ongoing genocide, not a metaphor. It is also something for which, even in this year's budget, there was zero budgetary allocation to deal with this crisis. That hurts. That is systemic violence that continues to wound us because we are valuable, we are precious, we are sacred and we are worthy of safety and dignity. It is the lived realities of families who search for loved ones without the support they deserve. It is the lived reality of mothers who hold vigils year after year.”
“Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people live with a level of violence that is not only severe but also systemic. Their families endure disappearances that are met with silence. Our lives are threatened by conditions created through generations of colonial policy. Our safety is undermined by poverty and racism, by the lack of services, and by failures of institutions meant to protect them. We are in a constant state of grief. It is constant, unrelenting and violent. (1030) This is not a parallel issue. It is not a separate crisis. It is part of the same violent web that took the lives of those young women at École Polytechnique. It is part of the same misogyny intensified and sharpened by the deep roots of colonialism. We must tell the truth.”
“It reminds us that gender-based violence is not an old wound healed by time. It is a living wound that demands action, compassion, real investment and truth. Gender-based violence does not come in degrees. It does not rank itself. It does not make one group more worthy of mourning than another. Every woman harmed, every girl targeted, every gender-diverse person threatened and every life stolen by hatred is a profound loss for the people, for their family, for their community and for this country. The sorrow of one does not diminish the sorrow of another. These tragedies stand beside one another, each deserving our full attention and our full commitment to change, yet we must speak honestly. While gender-based violence harms women everywhere, it does not harm all women equally.”
“They were 14 lives full of promise, 14 dreams interrupted by hatred. Their brilliance, their courage, and their futures were stolen in a single violent act that shook our country to its core. We say their names because their lives mattered. We say their names because their work mattered. We say their names because their presence mattered. The world they were building deserved to continue. Their family members, who I wish to honour today, live with a grief that does not fade. Their classmates, including our colleague, and community still carry the memory of that day. Across the country, women still carry the knowledge that they were targeted because of who they were, because they were women. The tragedy at École Polytechnique was not an isolated event. It was an expression of misogyny that continues to shape the lives of women everywhere.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to start by offering my condolences to the minister and noting her courage for sharing her story, her family story of violence. No family is free from gender-based violence. I honour her today, as well as all the women in the chamber. This is a sombre day, but it is a day of solidarity. As my Conservative colleague and my Bloc colleague said, we are united against violence. Today I rise with a heart that carries many stories of loss. I rise first to honour the 14 young women murdered at École Polytechnique simply because they were women: Geneviève Bergeron, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to be really clear. The NDP could not stay quiet and support a budget that supports corporations and corporate greed. At the same time, we heard people from our ridings and people across Canada who were very clear: They did not want an election during the holiday season. We listened to those voices, unlike other political parties, because this is not the NDP's budget; this is the people's budget. We went out to the people; we listened to the people, and we showed up at the vote to reflect their desire, to say, “This budget is awful, but we do not want an election during December.””
“Mr. Speaker, we know that, in this country, we have elected a banker for a Prime Minister . His only focus seems to be on dollar figures and not the people in Winnipeg Centre who are struggling to find housing right now; not the people in Winnipeg Centre who are struggling with mental health and addictions; and not the people in Winnipeg Centre who are trying to flee to safety, needing safe places to go. Protecting women and gender-diverse people is not a focus of the current Liberal government. The focus of the Liberal government is lining the pockets of the Prime Minister 's corporate buddies.”
“Mr. Speaker, just to clarify, the word “pharmacare” is mentioned only once in the budget. There are no other commitments. I want to be clear: This is an austerity budget. Do members know who is benefiting from the budget? It is the corporations, from all the incentives that are being given to them. They just have to look at the last pages of the budget. Getting rid of the luxury tax on yachts and planes is one example. Do they know who is paying for it? It is women and gender equality in this country, sexual and reproductive health in this country and the 100 child care spots that the government promised and would now turn its back on in this year's budget. I do not support padding the pockets of the ultrarich.”
“I have to say one of the most disappointing parts of the budget to me was the alarming signal that potentially threatens Canada's 10-year commitment to global health and rights, which includes $700 million annually for sexual and reproductive health. This has made Canada a global leader, and weakening that pledge on the global stage will not only harm millions worldwide but also erode Canada's credibility. It is not surprising to me that our Prime Minister said he would not describe our policy as feminist foreign policy. It is shameful. We need to do more to protect gender equality in this country. We need it to be the centrepiece of a healthy economy, not an afterthought.”
“It will escalate the cost of vital reproductive health care for women and gender-diverse people who have already been made vulnerable by displacement because of war and violence. The $400-million planned cut to health care at the end of the decade is deeply concerning. Such cuts will shrink the national leadership capacity, and we need that to coordinate prevention, equity and access across the provinces. Let us not forget that our health care system is already tapped out. It is already tapped out. Burnout is real with health care providers, nurses, midwives and physicians. We need to make greater investments in training health care workers, to fill jobs and rebuild a robust health care system in Canada.”
“We need to make sure that people can afford medication when they need it, to sustain their health and bodily autonomy. That is something that seems to be off the radar of not just the Liberals but the Conservatives too. The word “pharmacare” was only mentioned once in the budget. Even though the Liberals signalled that it was signed into law, their commitment to universal pharmacare is failing to extend agreements to all provinces and territories that want it. We have to stop the practice of people having to pay out of pocket for contraception medications, which are vital for sexual and reproductive health. The Liberals also broke their campaign promise to make permanent the sexual and reproductive health fund. The budget cut in health care for refugees is something that is problematic.”
“It protects equality and economic security because it gives people control over their futures. It reduces health care costs and strengthens gender equality across the board. It does not just improve sexual reproductive health and individual health, but it also drives population-level change. If people can plan when they want to have children and if they want to have children, they are more likely to stay in school, stay in the workforce and avoid cycles of poverty. Universal coverage of contraception is preventative, and it is good for the economy. It is like all good infrastructure: It saves us money in the long run. We know this, but the only thing we are missing now is the political will to make the financial investments to make it real.”
“I will remind the government that the only reason we were able to protect some of that funding was the leadership of frontline organizations that fought to keep this funding in place. Even in spite of the fact that we managed to save the furniture, the Liberals have still cut these programs from their current level by roughly 50%, at a time when we need much more, not less, public support for upholding the rights of women and gender-diverse people. We cannot build a healthy economy if we exclude women, the LGBTQ+ community and gender-diverse people. (1540) An area of deep concern is the lack of funding for sexual and reproductive health, as well as universal access to contraception. It is one of the clearest, most evidence-based investments that a government can make in people's health.”
“While I was glad to see in budget 2025 an investment of $660.5 million over five years, with $132.1 million ongoing, it came after great pressure from women's, feminist and gender-diverse organizations across the country fighting against the planned 15% cut. We know that gender equality cannot be an afterthought. It is part of a healthy, democratic Canada. However, this funding remains project-based, and these resources are not permanent. The Liberals, in turn, expected to be thanked for only cutting women and gender equality by a smaller percentage than other departments, even though, historically, wages have been massively underfunded. The budget cut still amounts to $8 million each year. It comes at a time when countless experts and even the former Liberal attorney general have said that gender-based violence in Canada is an epidemic.”
“The budget has no mention of how the government plans to protect indigenous women and girls from the violence that is often perpetrated in man camps, where we are seeing heightened rates of sexual trafficking, with Manitoba being the hub. There is no mention of that. Even though the government has recognized this ongoing violence against indigenous women and girls as genocide, there is zero mention of it in this year's budget. With the government's own admission, in this year's budget, 41 measures will primarily benefit men, while only seven will primarily benefit women. This is shocking, especially with the planned budget cuts to the public service sector. Fifty-six per cent of those impacted will be women.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am really happy to have an opportunity to rise today to discuss Bill C-15 , the budget implementation act, particularly around deep concerns that have been raised on the complete void of a gender-based analysis in the budget, including for projects of national interest. The budget, for example, does not contain one single mention of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls, in spite of a study that was done by the status of women committee that directly linked increased violence against indigenous women and girls and resource extraction projects. The whole budget relies on the lands, territories and resources of indigenous peoples, yet the budget has no mention of resources that will be provided for communities to put in place safety plans.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have heard a lot of talk about pipelines, certainly from the Liberals talking about working with first nations. However, after the fact, they are not consulting with first nations. We have seen that again today. I know the Conservative side is asking the Prime Minister to work directly with provinces to push pipelines through, without the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous people. I am wondering if my hon. colleague believes in the right to free, prior and informed consent.”
“Mr. Speaker, once again the government is letting Canadian airlines violate the human rights of people with disabilities. This time it is WestJet, which put in place arbitrary weight restrictions, preventing people with motorized wheelchairs from flying. The result is that it is denying people with disabilities the right to travel safely for work, for education, or to visit loved ones. When will the Liberals close loopholes in the Accessible Canada Act, uphold disability rights and hold corporate executives accountable when they violate these rights?”
“Today, I call on all parliamentary colleagues to join me in a simple but profound commitment. Let us defend the right of every person in this country to live free from violence. Let us defend the right of every person around the world to live free of violence. Let us choose courage over convenience. Let us act.”
“We cannot accept a government that ignores reproductive health, cuts essential supports for refugees or sidesteps the needs of survivors. To fight gender-based violence is to defend human rights in their entirety. Every policy choice strengthens or weakens that defence. These struggles are not abstract. They are about real people with real stories. I hold deep the love for survivors, for families and for communities, including my own. Unfortunately, as we begin the 16 days of activism, we are also witnessing a troubling shift on the global stage. On the eve of this campaign, the Prime Minister has chosen to court closer ties with the U.A.E. while diluting Canada's commitments to gender equality. This signals to the world that Canada no longer expects meaningful progress on human rights in exchange for diplomatic favour.”
“We know that poverty reduction is not separate from safety. It is the foundation of it. People cannot escape violence if they cannot afford to survive. This is why New Democrats continue to push for deeply affordable housing and a guaranteed livable basic income. We know that safety grows from stability; safety grows from dignity. I offer my deepest gratitude to frontline organizations that continue to meet this crisis with courage and compassion. They hold the line when every other system breaks down. They create refuge where none exists. When the government attempted to gut the women and gender equality department, these organizations advocated and protected this vital funding. Their work quite literally saves lives. However, we cannot accept half measures.”
“The status of women committee, in fact, confirmed this in a study during the last Parliament, calling for greater corporate responsibility and meaningful safety planning. Still, the government presented a plan crafted without the participation of indigenous women and without meaningful commitments to community safety. This is unacceptable. This is turning a blind eye to our genocide. Indigenous women will not sit quietly while governments ignore our right to safety and our right to dignity. We deserve more than symbolic gestures. We deserve life-saving investment, long-term commitment and accountability rooted in justice. (1025) The budget also lacked concrete plans for affordable housing, rent-geared-to-income units and safer shelter places. These are not optional supports. They are essential lifelines for people fleeing violence.”
“Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people face higher rates of violence in this country and are six times more likely than non-indigenous women to experience femicide. The crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people is not symbolic. It is not historic. It is a national emergency. In fact, the former prime minister recognized this as an ongoing genocide, yet in this year's budget, the Liberals did not include a single mention of this crisis. We are not invisible. This omission is even more alarming when the budget centres projects of national interest that involve resource extraction on indigenous lands and territories. We know that man camps and transient workforces increase violence against indigenous women and girls.”
“We remember the women murdered at École Polytechnique in 1989. We honour them by refusing to let hatred take root again. Again, I would like to honour the Secretary of State for Nature for sharing her story. Today, some elected representatives openly court groups that spread these hateful beliefs. Others have softened or abandoned their commitments to gender-based equality to appease anti-feminist voices. This is a betrayal of every woman and every gender-diverse person who has ever feared for their safety. We must stand against this extremism with absolute clarity and without hesitation. We cannot confront gender-based violence without naming racism and the ongoing legacy of colonialism and genocide.”
“We witness them in grief carried by loved ones who should have never had to bury our daughters, sisters, aunties and friends. Gender-based violence flows through our homes, our bones, our workplaces, public spaces and online spaces. It does not confine itself. It reaches everywhere, which means that our response must reach just as far. Experts, frontline workers, municipal leaders and even former attorneys general have all said the same thing: Gender-based violence and intimate partner violence amount to an epidemic in Canada. An epidemic demands a whole-of-government response. Nothing less is acceptable. Ending violence means speaking clearly against the growing forces of far-right misogyny, anti-feminist rhetoric and anti-2SLGBTQQIA+ hate. These ideologies do not exist in isolation. They have long been tied to violent extremism.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today with humility and resolve on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the first day of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. This is a day that demands truth-telling. It reminds us that for an issue as urgent and as widespread as gender-based violence, words alone have never been enough. Safety requires real action. Every level of government carries that responsibility. I would like to thank the Secretary of State for Nature for beginning our day and reminding us of that. When governments hesitate, when they fail to make violence prevention a priority, lives remain at risk. We see the consequences in our communities. We feel them in our families.”
“That begins with funding life-saving community supports, such as the North End Women's Centre in Winnipeg, and providing the resources indigenous women and gender diverse people have been calling for for decades. Our communities deserve safety, dignity and justice. Action must start today.”
“Mr. Speaker, November 25 marks the start of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. This moment is supposed to be about moving beyond talk and delivering real action, yet once again, the federal government has provided zero dollars in this year's budget to address the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, even after the former prime minister recognized this violence as an ongoing genocide. In Winnipeg Centre, women, girls and gender-diverse people continue to go missing and be murdered. This is not a crisis we can acknowledge only in words; it demands immediate investment and urgent political will. The Liberal government must act now.”
“As the Truth and Reconciliation Commission reminded us, without truth there can be no reconciliation, yet today, denialism is spreading: twisting facts, denying genocide and reigniting harm. It is not only hurtful; it is dangerous. It endangers survivors, our families and our nations, who continue the work of truth-telling. We owe survivors more than words; we owe them action, and the bill is about protecting their safety, honouring their truths and ensuring that the hard-won truth of what happened in residential schools is never erased or denied again. I call on all members of Parliament to stand with survivors to protect truth, uphold dignity and walk the path of real reconciliation together. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)”
“Bill C-254. Introduction and first reading moved for leave to introduce Bill C-254, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (promotion of hatred against Indigenous peoples) . She said: Madam Speaker, today I am deeply honoured to table my private member's bill, an act to amend the Criminal Code with respect to promotion of hatred against indigenous peoples, to end residential school denialism. I would like to thank the hon. member for Vancouver East for seconding my bill, a bill that I dedicate to all residential school survivors and our families. Survivors carry truths that this country needed to hear: truths of violence, loss and resilience. They shared their stories not to reopen wounds but to help this country heal.”
“Madam Speaker, it is alarming to hear the Prime Minister talk about sacrifice in the budget when, year after year, his government has sacrificed the safety of indigenous women and girls, ignoring the crisis of our murdered and disappeared loved ones. Now the Liberals push resource projects despite clear evidence that boom-town man camps fuel gender-based violence. Will the government finally put indigenous women’s safety before corporate profit, or will we be left out of the budget yet again?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, or NAN, has declared a state of emergency amid rising violence, trafficking and gang crime, yet the federal government has not paid its share to ensure adequate policing. Liberals rush to exploit the Ring of Fire in NAN territory for so-called national interest but stay silent as its communities face danger. Is the safety of indigenous people not of national interest? If the government truly cares about public safety, when will it address NAN's state of emergency?”
“Mr. Speaker, this was court ordered. Why is it dangerous for parliamentarians to not only not uphold court orders, but also do it in a manner that violates our Constitution, which is, in fact, the rule of law?”
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Vancouver East for her absolutely brilliant motions today. One of the concerns I have had is that since the new government took power, I continue to see members' trying to pass bills in the House that would violate human rights and would actually violate the Constitution. Why are we participating in this dangerous, slippery slope by not upholding our Constitution and the international conventions that Canada has signed on to?”
“Mr. Speaker, not only is the Prime Minister planning to cut Women and Gender Equality Canada by as much as 81%, but the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives just revealed that 59% of planned job cuts to the public service will impact women. If the Prime Minister wants to regain the trust of women after forcing flight attendants back to unpaid work at Air Canada, why does he not stop these devastating job cuts?”
“Madam Speaker, we are targeting the wrong people with the bill, quite frankly. When Trump accused Canada of being a key exporter of fentanyl across the border, that was a bunch of hooey. We talk about workers, and the bill would impact migrant workers. We know that the most exploited workers are migrant workers. Migrant workers are protected under international law. The bill would violate the rights of migrant workers, refugees and asylum seekers, as well as people's civil liberties. We need to get rid of the bill and replace it with a bill that addresses the concern without attacking immigrants, refugees and migrants.”
“Madam Speaker, certainly that is irresponsible of a leader, but the Liberals are abusing their powers as government to violate international law and give cabinet and the Prime Minister unprecedented amounts of power. With all due respect to the member across the way, he needs to clean up his own backyard in addition to commenting on others.”
“Madam Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's very thoughtful question. I support the more than 300 civil liberties organizations that are saying we need to get rid of the bill. I am ashamed, as a member of Parliament and as a legislator, that we are being forced to vote on a bill that is in direct violation of the rule of law and is in direct violation of conventions we have signed on to. We need to listen to those recommendations and take them seriously. If the bill should be salvageable, which I do not believe it is, then we need to pretty much write a whole new bill.”
“This fundamental principle of international law is also found in other international human rights treaties that we are signatories to. It prohibits the forced return of refugees to a country where they face a serious threat to their life or freedom. This is considered a customary international law that applies to all countries. I felt very strongly about the NDP's position on this particular bill, a bill that would violate international law. It is a bill that, in fact, would violate the rule of law. It is a bill that would have an impact on our reputation around the world and that feeds into the racist, anti-immigrant, xenophobic tropes that we are seeing coming from the south. Let us put silence on that voice and let us be what Canada has always been, a home welcoming to all.”
“A core principle is non-refoulement, which means that countries are prohibited from returning refugees to a place where their life or freedom is at risk. Countries are obliged to assess asylum claims fairly and protect refugees from being sent back to danger. I think about the number of refugees who have made Winnipeg Centre their home, whom I am proud to now have as neighbours and who fled life-and-death circumstances. We have a legal obligation to not close our borders to them. (1655) Article 14 states, “Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.” Article 14 further notes that this right does not apply to those genuinely prosecuted for non-political crimes or acts against the UN principles. This is a fundamental principle: the principle of non-refoulement.”
“Tim McSorley, who is part of the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, indicated: Bill C-12 does not fix Bill C-2; it fast tracks some of the most egregious aspects, while still moving forward with the rest. Our government has made it abundantly clear that they will continue to fight for every privacy-violating measure Bill C-2 still contains, and are only introducing Bill C-12 to get restrictions on migrant and refugee rights adopted sooner. As parliamentarians, we are obliged to uphold international law, and that includes international conventions that we are signatories to, including for international human rights that grant asylum seekers the right to seek protection from prosecution. This is most notable in article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the 1951 Refugee Convention.”
“Any changes to C-2 that do not remove the immigration provisions will continue to put vulnerable women at risk.” A broad coalition of civil liberties groups, data privacy organizations, refugee and migrant rights organizations and gender justice organizations strongly opposes the government's introduction of Bill C-12 , which seeks to fast-track rather than address many aspects of Bill C-2 's myriad problems. In fact, a coalition of over 300 organizations is reiterating its call for a full withdrawal of both bills. That coalition includes Amnesty International, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Labour Congress, the United Church of Canada, the Migrant Rights Network and the Canadian Council for Refugees.”