Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2018-04-17 17:40:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Ms. Mary Ng (Markham\u2014Thornhill, Lib.)",
        "fr": "Mme Mary Ng (Markham\u2014Thornhill, Lib.)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"5346850\" data-originallang=\"en\">Madam Speaker, I am honoured to rise and speak in support of Bill <a data-HoCid=\"8063434\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-210/\" title=\"An Act to amend An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-210</a>.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346851\" data-originallang=\"en\">Bill <a data-HoCid=\"8063434\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-210/\" title=\"An Act to amend An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-210</a> proposes to repeal the short title of Bill <a data-HoCid=\"6761928\" href=\"/bills/41-2/S-7/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-7, an act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other acts</a>, which received royal assent on June 18, 2015. The short title found in section 1 of Bill S-7, is the Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act. It must be noted that it is this title, not the substance of that piece of legislation, that is the subject of the bill we are currently debating.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346852\" data-originallang=\"en\">As hon. members are probably aware, the act we are proposing to amend sought to strengthen measures that prevent things like early and forced marriage, and to better protect women and girls in Canada. However, I wish to note that during the process Parliament took to review Bill <a data-HoCid=\"6761928\" href=\"/bills/41-2/S-7/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-7</a>, there was considerable criticism of the bill's short title from stakeholders, senators, members of Parliament, committee witnesses, and the media. These groups opposed the title, emphasizing it had the potential to build divisions in Canadian society by targeting certain communities.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346853\" data-originallang=\"en\">In the view of the government, the use of the word \u201cbarbaric\u201d in the short title of Bill <a data-HoCid=\"6761928\" href=\"/bills/41-2/S-7/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-7</a> is inflammatory and potentially divisive. It has the potential to breed fear of certain groups of immigrants, and in doing so, it distracts from the key goal of the legislation, which is to help protect women of all cultural backgrounds. Stakeholders have also noted that the title of the bill needs to be more neutral and that it should reflect the content of the bill rather than using such emotionally charged terms like \u201cbarbaric\u201d. It is particularly harmful to deliberately link the terms \u201cbarbaric\u201d and \u201ccultural\u201d.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346854\" data-originallang=\"en\">Let me be clear. Violence against women takes many different forms and affects millions of women and girls in Canada and around the world regardless of religion, nationality, or culture. In her presentation to parliamentarians, Avvy Go, the director of the Metro Toronto Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic, argued that the title could invoke racist stereotypes. She added that it could detract from Canadians having a real and honest discussion about domestic violence and from seeing domestic violence for what it really is, namely, an issue of gender inequality and not an issue of cultural identity.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346855\" data-originallang=\"en\">Allow me to note some other comments. Lawyer Chantal Desloges stated that the short title deters citizens from engaging in meaningful discussion of the bill's actual content. Dr. Rupaleem Bhuyan, a professor in the University of Toronto's faculty of social work, told committee members that the title was misleading from the serious issues that this bill seeks to address.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346856\" data-originallang=\"en\">Finally, representatives from the Canadian Bar Association and the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants raised concerns about the divisiveness of the short title. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346857\" data-originallang=\"en\">As we see from these examples, this title has prompted considerable concern from many individuals and organizations. This is partly why the government supports Bill <a data-HoCid=\"8063434\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-210/\" title=\"An Act to amend An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-210</a> to repeal the short title of Bill <a data-HoCid=\"6761928\" href=\"/bills/41-2/S-7/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-7</a>. Repealing this title is a symbolic step, but one that carries real meaning and consequence because, as we all know, language matters.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346858\" data-originallang=\"en\">I would propose to hon. members that for one culture to consider itself morally superior over another serves only to divide our world. It fosters sentiments of xenophobia and is destructive, especially in our increasingly globalized world. Our responsibility as elected members is not to perpetuate misguided ideas or divisive language that could shape Canadian society. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346859\" data-originallang=\"en\">The government's support for Bill <a data-HoCid=\"8063434\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-210/\" title=\"An Act to amend An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-210</a> demonstrates our commitment to openness, acceptance, and generosity in the Canadian immigration process. It reflects our commitment to accuracy and to avoiding language that is misleading, inflammatory, and divisive. Finally, it reflects our commitment to protecting vulnerable individuals in Canada, especially women and children.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346860\" data-originallang=\"en\">Diversity is at the heart of our success as a nation and of what we offer the world. We are deeply committed to promoting inclusion and acceptance, which are some of the key pillars of Canadian society. The success of the diverse newcomers who migrate to Canada supports our success as a strong and united country.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346861\" data-originallang=\"en\">We must ensure that our words, especially the words we use to describe our laws, reflect the openness that is the cornerstone of Canada's place in the world. This bill, if passed by Parliament, would remove the short title of <a data-HoCid=\"6761928\" href=\"/bills/41-2/S-7/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">Bill S-7</a>, the Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act, that was adopted during the last parliamentary session. This is the bill's only provision and does not propose to make any other changes adopted through the passage of Bill <a data-HoCid=\"6761928\" href=\"/bills/41-2/S-7/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-7</a>.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346862\" data-originallang=\"en\"> In summary, the government's support for Bill <a data-HoCid=\"8063434\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-210/\" title=\"An Act to amend An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-210</a> would remove the short title of the current legislation, a title that can promote division and intolerance and that can also be seen as targeting specific communities. On that basis, the government supports Bill <a data-HoCid=\"8063434\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-210/\" title=\"An Act to amend An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-210</a>. I would encourage my honourable colleagues to support this bill to foster an open, tolerant, and inclusive Canada. Diversity is our strength. We know that Canada has succeeded culturally, politically, and economically because of our diversity, not in spite of it.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"5346850\" data-originallang=\"en\">Madame la Pr\u00e9sidente, c'est pour moi un honneur d'intervenir dans le d\u00e9bat sur le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"8063434\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-210/\" title=\"An Act to amend An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-210</a>.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346851\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"8063434\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-210/\" title=\"An Act to amend An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-210</a> propose d'abroger le titre abr\u00e9g\u00e9 du projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"6761928\" href=\"/bills/41-2/S-7/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-7, Loi modifiant la Loi sur l\u2019immigration et la protection des r\u00e9fugi\u00e9s, la Loi sur le mariage civil, le Code criminel et d\u2019autres lois en cons\u00e9quence</a>, qui a re\u00e7u la sanction royale le 18 juin 2015. Le projet de loi S-7 porte, selon l'article 1, le titre abr\u00e9g\u00e9 de Loi sur la tol\u00e9rance z\u00e9ro face aux pratiques culturelles barbares. Je dois souligner que c'est le titre et non la teneur du projet de loi qui est vis\u00e9 par le projet de loi dont nous d\u00e9battons actuellement.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346852\" data-originallang=\"en\">Les d\u00e9put\u00e9s savent probablement d\u00e9j\u00e0 que le projet de loi que nous proposons de modifier visait \u00e0 renforcer des mesures qui interdisent certaines pratiques comme le mariage pr\u00e9coce ou forc\u00e9 et qui permettent de mieux prot\u00e9ger les femmes et les filles au Canada. Cependant, je tiens \u00e0 souligner que, pendant, l'\u00e9tude du projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"6761928\" href=\"/bills/41-2/S-7/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-7</a> au Parlement, nombre d'intervenants, de s\u00e9nateurs, de d\u00e9put\u00e9s, de t\u00e9moins au comit\u00e9 et de repr\u00e9sentants des m\u00e9dias ont largement critiqu\u00e9 le titre abr\u00e9g\u00e9 du projet de loi. Les groupes qui s'opposaient \u00e0 ce titre ont fait valoir que celui-ci risquait de cr\u00e9er des dissensions au sein de la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 canadienne en ciblant certaines communaut\u00e9s en particulier.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346853\" data-originallang=\"en\">Le gouvernement est d'avis que le terme \u00ab barbares \u00bb employ\u00e9 dans le titre abr\u00e9g\u00e9 du projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"6761928\" href=\"/bills/41-2/S-7/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-7</a> est incendiaire et pourrait semer la discorde. Il pourrait susciter la peur de certains groupes d'immigrants et, ce faisant, d\u00e9tournerait l'attention de l'objectif principal de la mesure l\u00e9gislative, qui est de prot\u00e9ger les femmes de toutes les cultures. Des intervenants ont \u00e9galement mentionn\u00e9 que le titre du projet de loi doit \u00eatre plus neutre et qu'il devrait refl\u00e9ter le contenu du projet de loi plut\u00f4t que de contenir des termes \u00e0 forte charge \u00e9motive comme \u00ab barbares \u00bb. Il est particuli\u00e8rement pr\u00e9judiciable de relier les mots \u00ab barbares \u00bb et \u00ab culturelles \u00bb. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346854\" data-originallang=\"en\">Qu'on me comprenne bien. La violence envers les femmes rev\u00eat de nombreuses formes et touche des millions de femmes et de filles au Canada et partout dans le monde ind\u00e9pendamment de la religion, de la nationalit\u00e9 ou de la culture. Dans sa pr\u00e9sentation aux parlementaires, Avvy Go, directrice de la Metro Toronto Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic, a dit que le titre pourrait \u00e9voquer des st\u00e9r\u00e9otypes racistes. Elle a ajout\u00e9 qu'il pourrait emp\u00eacher les Canadiens d'avoir une vraie discussion franche sur la violence pour ce qu'elle est vraiment, c'est-\u00e0-dire un probl\u00e8me d'in\u00e9galit\u00e9 hommes-femmes et non un probl\u00e8me d'identit\u00e9 culturelle.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346855\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je vais mentionner d'autres commentaires. L'avocate Chantal Desloges a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 que le titre abr\u00e9g\u00e9 dissuade les citoyens de lancer un vrai d\u00e9bat sur le contenu du projet de loi. La professeure Rupaleem Bhuyan, de la Facult\u00e9 de travail social de l'Universit\u00e9 de Toronto, a dit aux membres du comit\u00e9 que le titre donnait une id\u00e9e fausse des v\u00e9ritables probl\u00e8mes que ce projet de loi cherche \u00e0 r\u00e9gler.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346856\" data-originallang=\"en\">Finalement, des repr\u00e9sentants de l'Association du Barreau canadien et du Conseil ontarien des organismes de service aux immigrants ont dit craindre que le titre abr\u00e9g\u00e9 ne s\u00e8me la discorde.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346857\" data-originallang=\"en\">Comme ces exemples le montrent, le titre a suscit\u00e9 de vives inqui\u00e9tudes chez un grand nombre de personnes et d'organismes. C'est en partie pour cela que le gouvernement est en faveur du projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"8063434\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-210/\" title=\"An Act to amend An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-210</a>, qui vise \u00e0 abroger le titre abr\u00e9g\u00e9 du projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"6761928\" href=\"/bills/41-2/S-7/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-7</a>. Abroger le titre constitue un geste symbolique, mais cela a \u00e9galement une v\u00e9ritable signification et des cons\u00e9quences r\u00e9elles parce que, comme nous le savons tous, les mots sont importants.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346858\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je tiens \u00e0 dire aux d\u00e9put\u00e9s qu'une sup\u00e9riorit\u00e9 morale ressentie par une culture par rapport \u00e0 une autre a pour seul effet de diviser notre monde. Ce sentiment alimente la x\u00e9nophobie et est destructeur, surtout dans notre \u00e8re de mondialisation grandissante. \u00c0 titre de repr\u00e9sentants \u00e9lus, il nous incombe de ne pas perp\u00e9tuer des id\u00e9es erron\u00e9es ou prononcer des discours clivants qui pourraient fa\u00e7onner la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 canadienne.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346859\" data-originallang=\"en\">L'appui du gouvernement pour le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"8063434\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-210/\" title=\"An Act to amend An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-210</a> refl\u00e8te notre volont\u00e9 de favoriser l'ouverture, l'accueil et la g\u00e9n\u00e9rosit\u00e9 dans le cadre du processus d'immigration canadien. Il illustre notre souci d'exactitude, ainsi que notre d\u00e9termination \u00e0 \u00e9viter des propos trompeurs, incendiaires et clivants. Finalement, il refl\u00e8te notre d\u00e9sir de prot\u00e9ger les Canadiens vuln\u00e9rables, surtout les femmes et les enfants.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346860\" data-originallang=\"en\">La diversit\u00e9 est au coeur de la r\u00e9ussite du Canada en tant que nation et de ce qu'il offre au monde. Nous tenons vraiment \u00e0 favoriser l'inclusion et l'acceptation, qui sont deux des piliers cl\u00e9s de la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 canadienne. La r\u00e9ussite des nouveaux venus de partout dans le monde qui viennent s'\u00e9tablir au Canada fait la force et l'unit\u00e9 de notre pays.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346861\" data-originallang=\"en\">Nous devons veiller \u00e0 ce que les mots que nous utilisons, surtout pour d\u00e9crire nos lois, t\u00e9moignent de l'ouverture qui a fait la r\u00e9putation du Canada dans le monde. Le projet de loi, s'il est adopt\u00e9, supprimera le titre abr\u00e9g\u00e9 du projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"6761928\" href=\"/bills/41-2/S-7/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-7</a>, la Loi sur la tol\u00e9rance z\u00e9ro face aux pratiques culturelles barbares, qui a \u00e9t\u00e9 adopt\u00e9e lors de la derni\u00e8re session parlementaire. C'est la seule disposition du projet de loi et il ne pr\u00e9voit aucun autre changement au projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"6761928\" href=\"/bills/41-2/S-7/\" title=\"An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-7</a>.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"5346862\" data-originallang=\"en\">En r\u00e9sum\u00e9, en appuyant le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"8063434\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-210/\" title=\"An Act to amend An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-210</a>, le gouvernement supprimerait le titre abr\u00e9g\u00e9 de cette mesure l\u00e9gislative, qui peut \u00eatre source de division et d'intol\u00e9rance et qui peut \u00e9galement \u00eatre per\u00e7u comme ciblant certaines communaut\u00e9s pr\u00e9cises. Pour cette raison, le gouvernement appuie le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"8063434\" href=\"/bills/42-1/S-210/\" title=\"An Act to amend An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Civil Marriage Act and the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts\">S-210</a>. J'invite mes coll\u00e8gues \u00e0 appuyer le projet de loi afin de favoriser un Canada ouvert, tol\u00e9rant et accueillant. La diversit\u00e9 est notre force. Nous savons que le Canada a r\u00e9ussi sur les plans culturel, politique et \u00e9conomique gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 sa diversit\u00e9, non pas malgr\u00e9 elle. </p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2018/4/17/mary-ng-5/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/mary-ng/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/4458/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "10057633",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Private Members' Business",
        "fr": "Initiatives Parlementaires"
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Immigration and Refugee Protection Act",
        "fr": "La Loi sur l\u2019immigration et la protection des r\u00e9fugi\u00e9s"
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2018/4/17/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2018%2F4%2F17%2F"
    }
}