Prime Minister Trudeau, we call upon you to repeal Bill C-24 in its entirety within 100 days of office and ask you to stand by your words that a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian.

Background:

On October 19th this year, millions of Canadians voted for positive change and a move away from the divisive, secretive and fear-inducing politics of Stephen Harper. Justin Trudeau and the Liberal party have promised to be that change and work towards a better tomorrow.

A better tomorrow for all Canadians begins with two key things:

1.     Rebuilding trust – Canadians of all political affiliations look to the new Liberal government to restore dignity to, and rebuild faith in politics, politicians, and the political process. This will happen as the party delivers on all its electoral campaign processes, on time, and without fail.

2.      A united, strong Canada – we need our government to send a strong, unmistakable and clear signal that the politics of divide-and-rule is behind us, and that anything that divides our society and detracts from our heritage of multiculturalism and diversity is no longer acceptable.

No electoral promise of Justin Trudeau’s impacts these twin goals as directly as his commitment to repeal Bill C-24—that deeply contentious divisive and unconstitutional piece of legislation that only serves to weaken, not strengthen, Canada by dividing us into a nation of first and second-class citizens. We, therefore, ask Justin Trudeau to make good on his electoral promise of repealing Bill C-24, and urge him to do so within the first 100 days of his administration.

Bill C-24 undercuts the Canadian ideals of equality and freedom by unilaterally targeting New Canadians; their civil liberties are curtailed, their right to travel or live abroad for work or family reasons has been taken away, and their citizenship status is forever made insecure under the threat of revocation for a number of arbitrary reasons. (For more details about Bill C-24 click here).

Bill C-24 was supposedly put forward by the previous government as a way of strengthening Canada and protecting its citizens from terrorism. In actuality, it does nothing of the sort. I and millions of Canadians, new and old, agree that we need tougher laws and systems to protect Canada and keep it safe. By shifting power away from the criminal justice system and judiciary, Bill C-24 actually weakens our state’s response to terrorism. In addition, by creating first-class and second-class citizens rather than a united Canada, it promotes mistrust and divisions within society and only serves to weaken us from within.

Therefore we call upon the new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau to repeal, in its entirety, Bill C-24 within the first 100 days of his taking office. No overhaul or modifications can mask the inherent racism of this legislation. We urge the Prime Minister not to allow any tinkering with the language of the bill, choosing instead to forcefully and convincingly decimate this divisive bill, and what is stands for, in its entirety. We urge him to condemn the Harperian legacy of hate and divisiveness to the proverbial garbage can, by throwing this bill out in its entirety, and replace it with a new bill, to be crafted with wide consultations with Canadians of all background, that truly reflects our common aspiration for a strong, safe and prosperous Canada.

Join us and sign this petition today and add your voice to creating a more just and equal Canada.