In the House of Commons – April 3, 2009
Hon. Irwin Cotler (Mount Royal, Lib.): Cotler.I@parl.gc.ca
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table a large number of petitions signed by residents in my riding and beyond on the occasion of the one thousandth day of captivity of the kidnapped Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.
The petitioners protest his abduction from Israel during a cease fire arrangement with Hamas-ruled Gaza, where he is being held in complete isolation. The petitioners note he has been denied any and all rights afforded to him under international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Convention to which Canada is a state party and which rights Canadians have a commitment to respect.
The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to insist that the Red Cross, United Nations and other humanitarian agencies uphold the applicable standards of humanitarian law, including proof of life, to visit the kidnapped soldier and communication between him and his family as a bare minimum, to insist that the government Palestinian authority commit itself to the repatriation of Mr. Gilad Shalit and to use Canada’s good office, in bilateral and multilateral discussions, to put an end to these violations of international humanitarian law, secure Gilad Shalit’s release and return him to his family as a matter of fundamental decency and justice.
Mr. Scott Reid (Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington, CPC): Reid.S@parl.gc.ca
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour today of presenting a petition on the subject of the escalating level of communal violence against the Jewish community of Venezuela, a group which has been subjected over the past several years to an increasing and alarming level of violence, going back to 2004 when Venezuelan police authorities carried out a raid on one of the Jewish schools in the country. More recent, we have all heard of attacks on a synagogue in Venezuela. What Canadians may be even less aware of is the general abusive and dangerous language being applied by Hugo Chávez, the leader of Venezuela.
The petitioners ask the Government of Canada to do four things: first, express its outrage at government sponsored anti-Semitic activities directly to the government of Venezuela and its diplomatic representatives; second, to demand an independent investigation of attacks on the Venezuela Jewish community; third, to act on the London Declaration of the Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism, which calls for a governmental response to activities like those carried out by President Chávez; and finally, to work with our international partners to ensure the protection of Venezuela’s Jewish community and to safeguard against further anti-Semitic activities in that country.
Finally, the petitioners note their respect for the people of Venezuela, who they believe to be an honourable people, and do not support the activities of Mr. Chávez and other hooligans who have engaged in these kinds of activities.
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