441-02505 (Foreign affairs)

We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:

Whereas:

• The US Commission on International Religious Freedom reported that various actors in India have advocated, instituted, and enforced sectarian policies seeking to establish India as an overtly Hindu state, contrary to India's secular and pluralistic foundation, posing grave danger to India's religious minorities;
• Christians in India are facing targeted attacks by extremists, with 486 incidents of anti-Christian attacks in 2021 according to the United Christian Forum, and over 300 attacks reported as of July 2022, including widespread documentation of Church vandalism, assaults of Church workers, and Christian congregations threatened and humiliated;
• Crimes against Dalit groups, including Dalit women and girls, are reported every hour according to a 2021 report by the National Crime Records Bureau, with the total cases increasing to 50,900 in 2021 compared with 50,291 in 2020; and
• Indian Muslims are at risk of genocide according to NGO Genocide Watch, which documented "signs and processes" of genocide in India, further supported by credible reports indicating that growing Muslim minorities are subject to planned and targeted threats, assault, sexual violence and killings.

Therefore, we, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to:

1. Formally ensure that all trade deals with India, including the Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA), Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), and the Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA), are premised on mandatory human rights provisions;

2. Initiate targeted sanctions against extremists guilty of inciting violence against religious minorities in India; and

3. Promote mutually respectful and mutually beneficial human rights dialogue between Canada and India.