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House Hansard - 100

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 22, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 100 - Sep/22/22
Mr. Michael Cooper (St. Albert—Edmonton, CPC)
  • Sep/22/22 3:00:09 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-5 
Mr. Speaker, Canadians expect that criminals convicted of sexual assault, kidnapping and human trafficking serve their sentence from behind bars, but not these soft-on-crime Liberals, with their do no crime Bill C-5, which incredibly allows criminals convicted of these and other serious offences to serve their sentence from home. Could the Liberals explain how letting loose into the community the likes of sexual predators, kidnappers and human traffickers protects public safety?
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Context: House Hansard - 100 - Sep/22/22
Mr. Michael Cooper (St. Albert—Edmonton, CPC)
  • Sep/22/22 6:51:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in strong support of M-42. The motion before us simply seeks to declare that every November will be Hindu heritage month. I want to at the outset take this opportunity to acknowledge the member for Nepean. He is someone I have gotten to know over the past seven years that we have served together in this place, and he is someone I consider a friend. I want to acknowledge his leadership in bringing this motion forward, the member himself being of Hindu heritage. Hinduism is one of the world's oldest religions. Indeed, it has been said to be the world's oldest religion, with an ancient history dating back more than 5,000 years. It is also one of the world's largest religions, with more than 900 million people from all corners of the world practising Hinduism. Hinduism is, beyond that, a set of religious beliefs. The member for Nepean in his eloquent speech, when he spoke to the motion, spoke of the rich, diverse and ancient heritage that underpins Hinduism, including wisdom, traditions, literature, festivals and, as the member noted, most importantly samskaras​, or sacraments, in their homes. Hinduism is a religious tradition. It is a way of life, or dharma, with a message centred on tolerance, on religious freedom and in universality. Indeed, a Sanskrit phrase found in Hindu texts, when translated into English, means, “the world is one family”. Consistent with this, pluralism is very much inherent in the beliefs of Hindus. These principles, including the pluralism, tolerance and universality that I spoke of, are rooted in the sacred Hindu text, the Rig Veda, which provides that truth is one and sages call it by many names. Hindus in Canada have a long history, dating back more than 100 years, when a small number of Hindu families came from Punjab. It was not until the 1960s that a larger number of Hindus came to Canada, mostly from northern India. In the 1970s many more Hindus from other parts of the world, including countries in east Africa, Trinidad, Fiji and Guyana came to Canada. Many of those Hindus were fleeing religious discrimination and persecution in their home countries, and I have to say that one of the great things about Canada is that we are a country of religious freedom. Canadians have a right, and indeed it is a fundamental right guaranteed to all Canadians, to peacefully assemble and practise their religion freely. Consistent with that and in that spirit, this motion reflects the cultural and religious pluralism that is Canada. Today the Hindu community is a vibrant one. It is more than 600,000 people strong and growing. It is a community that is recognized to be peaceful, community-oriented, productive and highly educated. Hindu Canadians have contributed to virtually all aspects of Canadian society, including technology, science, the arts, law, medicine and politics. Speaking of Hindu Canadians who have contributed politically, I want to acknowledge the member for Nepean. That hon. member came to Canada not many years ago. In 2003 or 2004, he came here, like many Hindu Canadians, as someone who was highly educated, and he brought professional expertise as an executive in high technology. He came to build a better life for himself and his family, to work hard, to give back and to contribute to Canada as a dedicated volunteer in his south Ottawa community. Quite remarkably, in little more than a decade after arriving in Canada, the hon. member was elected to serve the people of Nepean, where he has served over the past seven years, during which time he has made substantive contributions. I also would be remiss if I did not acknowledge our late former colleague, Deepak Obhrai. Deepak is someone I was fortunate to get to know when I was first elected in 2015, and I served with Deepak until his untimely passing in 2019. Deepak's political career is a storied one. He did many things, including running for the leadership of the Conservative Party. Although he was very much an underdog and, frankly, did not come close to winning, he did contribute in a substantive way to the leadership race and made many contributions to our party, but more than that, he made many contributions in this place, where for 22 years he tirelessly and effectively represented the people of Calgary East and Calgary Forest Lawn. For many years, he served as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He represented Canada on the international stage in that capacity. In closing, let me say that passing this motion and declaring November as Hindu heritage month would rightfully acknowledge the significant contributions of Hindu Canadians. More than that, it would provide a unique platform, an opportunity for Canadians of Hindu heritage to promote their culture and traditions and to tell their stories, the stories of their ancestors that are interwoven into the fabric of Canada. This House has a long tradition of passing bills and motions that celebrate communities that make up Canada. In that spirit, I hope that this worthy motion receives the unanimous support of the House and that every November we can celebrate Hindu heritage month.
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