Leader of official opposition pledges to resurrect Office of Religious Freedom if elected
By Alexandra Heck Mississauga NewsSunday, July 16, 2023
If elected as the prime minister of Canada, Pierre Poilievre said that he would resurrect the Office of Religious Freedom to monitor persecution internationally.The leader of the official opposition for Canada spoke to a large crowd at the 45th annual Jalsa Salana hosted by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at of Canada at the International Centre in Mississauga.The event is the largest and oldest Muslim convention in Canada, attracting an estimated 20,000 visitors, including Ahmadiyya Muslims from across Canada for a three-day period of prayers, guest speakers, celebrations and events.“Today we bring a message of shared values,” Poilievre said, referring to housing and economic hardships and thanking the Ahmadiyya Muslim community for their global and local humanitarian efforts.“These are Canadian values,” he said. “That is why we as Conservatives and the official opposition will continue to stand with the Ahmadiyya community and take a stand against all forms of hatred, oppression and intolerance.”In 2013 under Stephen Harper, the federal government established the Office of Religious Freedom, which was replaced by the Office of Human Rights.That office has three departments: human rights and Indigenous affairs, democracy and inclusion and religious freedom.“We are first and foremost a non-partisan community,” said Asif Khan, national director of public relations for Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Canada, when asked about Poilievre’s commitment to resurrect the Office of Religious Freedom. “We would love to work with them if they expand the religious freedoms component.”
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Poilievre spoke about the importance of freedom and equality, that it shouldn’t matter what your last name is.“If you are prepared to work hard, you can achieve your dreams, whether you worship on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays or not at all,” he said. “You should be free to chart your own course and build your own life.”Poilievre later said that if he was to start a political party from scratch, it would be the “mind your own business party” where people would be free to spend and earn their money how they like and worship and live their lives in the utmost freedom.He was one of several dignitaries at the July 15 ceremony, including Canada’s Minister of Seniors Kamal Khera, Ontario’s Minister of Education Stephen Lecce and Milton Mayor Gordon Krantz—who was honoured with an award for his service.RELATED STORIES
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Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s special representative of combatting Islamophobia, was in attendance.Also at the convention were the mayors of Brampton, Mississauga, Innisfil, Bradford and newly elected Toronto mayor Olivia Chow, with Premier Doug Ford attending the day prior. The convention is one of several Ahmadiyya Muslim conventions, with annual events also happening in Pennsylvania and the U.K. this summer.
Categories: Ahmadis, Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, America, American History, Americas, Canada