Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to present two petitions on behalf of my constituents.

The first petition is in regard to MAID. My constituents are concerned that advanced requests could lead to coercion or undue pressure, especially among older adults or those with disabilities, to request MAID to avoid burdening families or the health care system. There are ethical concerns among some health care professionals that carrying out MAID based on an old request without current confirmation could be seen as involuntary. There is a risk that death could be seen as a benefit contrary to what a patient might have desired.

Mr. Speaker, the second petition I will present today calls upon the Government of Canada to reject recommendation 430 of the FINA pre-budget report, reaffirm Canada's commitment to an open culture and support each person's freedom to promote common good through the advancement of religion without punitive financial measures.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to present a petition that relates to a private member's bill that I was honoured to sponsor through this place, which has received royal assent. Bill S-203 bans the keeping of whales, dolphins and cetaceans of all kinds in captivity.

I know I should not update a petition that is being presented, but we know the Minister of Fisheries has done the right thing. The petitioners asked for the Minister of Fisheries to deny any export permits, which would have put the belugas and dolphins of Marineland at risk by exporting them to the People's Republic of China.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada, working with the Province of Ontario, to find ways to improve the welfare of these mammals, which must not be kept in captivity but must not be exported to places of greater cruelty.

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today.

The first petition is with respect to malnutrition. The petitioners bring to the attention of the government the malnutrition that exists among many Canadians. In particular, they are calling on the government to convene a pan-Canadian malnutrition summit to expand Canada's healthy eating strategy and to mandate the collection and reporting of malnutrition metrics by Canadian institutes.

Mr. Speaker, the second petition draws the attention of the government to the rhetorical talk and discussion we hear from the United States with respect to Canada becoming the 51st state. The petitioners are calling upon members of Parliament of all parties to immediately forswear and discourage any and all further divisive partisanship and come together collegially to prioritize the national interest in the conduct of the nation's business and external relations.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition calling on the government to not cause Christian churches to lose their charitable status. The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to reject recommendation 430 of the FINA pre-budget report, reaffirm Canada's commitment to an open culture and support each citizen's freedom to promote the common good through the advancement of religion without punitive financial measures. Christian churches should not lose their charitable status under the government.

Mr. Speaker, it is my great privilege to present to the House a petition from concerned Canadians who are alarmed by the finance committee's pre-budget submission and recommendation that the government revoke charitable status from houses of worship and organizations that have a pro-life position.

The petitioners are very alarmed by this encroachment on Canadians' religious freedoms and freedom of conscience. Religious institutions offer a range of philanthropic initiatives, and faith itself is invaluable to Canadians. The petitioners want religious freedoms to be protected and for the government to keep its hands off the charitable status of faith-based organizations.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to present a petition in which the undersigned point out that religious charities in Canada provide vital services to society, including food banks, care for seniors, newcomer support, youth programs and mental health support, all rooted in their faith traditions.

Freedom of religion and freedom of belief are fundamental rights in Canada that are protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Excluding faith-based charities from the charitable sector based on religious beliefs undermines the diversity that is foundational to Canadian society.

The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to reject recommendations 429 and 430 of the House of Commons finance committee's pre-budget report, refrain from including these recommendations in the federal budget or any related legislation, and affirm the charitable status of faith-based organizations.

I am thankful for the opportunity to share this petition this morning.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I also have a petition, certified and signed by 30 people, regarding recommendation 430 of the House of Commons finance committee's pre-budget report, which proposes removing the advancement of religion as a recognized charitable purpose under the Income Tax Act. Recommendation 429 proposes to revoke the charitable status of various organizations.

Religious charities in Canada provide vital services to society, including food banks, care for seniors, newcomer support, youth programs and mental health outreach. These communities indeed promote hope, belonging, social cohesion and compassion.

The undersigned citizens and residents of Canada call upon the Government of Canada to reject recommendations 429 and 430 of the House of Commons finance committee's pre-budget report, refrain from including these recommendations in the federal budget or any related legislation, and affirm the charitable status of faith-based organizations, whose work flows from sincerely held beliefs and whose contributions serve the common good of Canada.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to present a petition, pursuant to Standing Order 36. In this petition, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada call upon the Government of Canada to reject recommendation 430 of the finance committee's pre-budget report, reaffirm Canada's commitment to an open culture and support citizens' freedom to promote the common good through the advancement of religion without punitive measures.

The petitioners feel that recommendation 430 is working against religious freedoms. These charitable organizations have a large impact on the community, with many community outreach programs, and they are against this recommendation.

Mr. Speaker, it is with pleasure that I table a petition today calling upon parliamentarians to do what they can to ensure that disposable income increases for Canadian. In particular, the petitioners are suggesting there is a need for a tax break for Canada's middle class, and they are looking for ways we can support Canada's middle class.

It is a pleasure for me to table this petition today.

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in the House today, pursuant to Standing Order 36, to present this petition to the House. It says that the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada call upon the Government of Canada to reject recommendation 430 of the FINA pre-budget report, reaffirm Canada's commitment to an open culture and support each citizen's freedom to promote the common good through the advancement of religion without punitive financial measures.

The revocation of charitable status from religious institutions is a threat to an open society and to the right of all Canadians to pursue whatever religious path they wish. The petitioners call upon the government to act accordingly.

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure today to stand here to present a petition, pursuant to Standing Order 36, regarding limiting the rights of religious organizations and revoking their charitable status. Religious organizations in Canada and in my constituency do so much good work through either volunteering or helping those in need. It is very important that these organizations are allowed to maintain their charitable status.

The undersigned citizens and residents of Canada call upon the Government of Canada to reject recommendation 430 of the FINA pre-budget report, reaffirm Canada's commitment to an open culture and support each citizen's freedom to promote the common good through the advancement of religion without punitive financial measures.

Mr. Speaker, the first of several petitions that I would like to present to the House highlights the ongoing tragedy of the government's failed euthanasia policy.

The petitioners in this petition note ion particular the pernicious effects of the government's approach to Canadians living with disabilities. These Conservative petitioners and all major disability advocacy organizations in the country have expressed opposition to the government's presenting euthanasia as a response to disability.

The petitioners say that offering medical assistance in dying as a “solution” for a disability or chronic illness reduces incentives to improve treatment and care for people with those conditions and that allowing medical assistance in dying for those with disabilities or chronic illnesses who are not dying devalues their life. The petitioners want to see the government change the existing regime to protect all Canadians whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable. They want to see this happen by prohibiting medical assistance in dying for those whose prognosis for natural death is more than six months.

Mr. Speaker, next I would like to present a petition that references Bill C-257, which was a bill in the previous Parliament, put forward by me, that would have added political belief and activity as prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Canada Human Rights Act. Petitioners are asking the House to support the bill, or presumably a similar bill in the current Parliament.

Petitioners note that Canadians can and do face political discrimination on the basis of their political beliefs and that it is in the best interests of Canadian democracy to protect public debate and to protect an environment in which people can exchange about different ideas and do so without fear of discrimination.

Petitioners therefore want the House to support the bill and defend the rights of Canadians to peacefully express their political opinions.

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition about a very serious issue: the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Petitioners would like to see an end to that persecution, the protection of Falun Gong practitioners and an end to these human rights abuses.