OTTAWA: Joseph Volpe (Eglinton Lawrence):Mr. Speaker, last June 17. I raised an immigration issue of significant importance with respect to how our immigration procedures are handled and how we assure that the religious rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms are respected.

The matter clearly also affects the individuals whose circumstances prompted my question. Specifically, four Sikh priests denied statuses in Canada were facing deportation.

Forth thousand members of the Khalsa Dabar Sikh Temple in Mississauga were subsequently compelled to go to the courts to secure for their priests the very same rights guaranteed to all priests and religious ministers both under the Immigration Act and its regulations.

For example, directives from the Quebec region immigration office guarantees that priests can request a credible basis refugee claim without a formal interview or hearing. But these four were denied that opportunity. The minister was brusque in responding to a reasonable request for intervention. First, he declared that the priests should simply get out. He was precipitous, he was wrong and worse, he was inflammatory.

Second, he refused in this House to be involved or to comment claiming that this case was before the courts. Yet no court action had begun. His involvement had been asked so that a court action could be avoided.

Third, after I advised him that the priests together had 12 more administrative procedures before refugee hearings, he lashed out with personal attacks on this member engaging in diversionary tactics because he was not in possession of the facts.

He owes Canadians the responsibility to stay informed. His perverse inaction is creating unnecessary turbulence in the lives of individual priests and their parishioners. To date the immigration department has refused to deal with the questions of religion and priesthood. It has forced the priests to go into a refugee system to secure status, thus denying Sikhs the same access to their priests as Catholics, Protestants and others have to their own.

The actions of the department mean in effect that it does not recognize the Sikh religion. Without their priests Sikhs cannot enjoy the guarantees of religious freedom under section 2 of the Charter. The multicultural character of Canada referred to under section 27 can no longer apply to them. The equality provisions under section 15 ring hollow for them.

How can the minister justify depriving Sikhs of these basic freedoms?

[Editor’s Note: Member spoke in Punjabi, translated as follows”}

This is an affront to Sikh faith and to Canadians of Punjabi origin that practice the Sikh religion. They live by the precepts of their founder, the Guru Nanak, who called for peace among men, equality between genders and among races, respect for individual rights and differences, who preached humility, industry and the concept of community. Mr. Speaker, these are admirable Canadian values and as a country we should support those who advance them there and everywhere.

{English}

 Yes, and yet the minister is prepared to send these priests to a country where they will be clearly in danger. International press reports UN resolutions, Amnesty International, among other impartial observers point to the fact that the deportation to the Punjab will lead to certain danger for the applicant.

 It is time the minister acted to ensure that the Sikh communities in Canada have a real change to live in dignity. It cannot continue to thrive or to do so without figures central to Sikh religion and culture that is their priests.

 I urge the minister to stop waffling, stopping dallying to get involved intervene and ensure that they have an opportunity in Canada and to minister to the parishioners of Sikh faith in Canada.

Article extracted from this publication >> December 6, 1991