Political Quotes
 
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Canada
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"While the responsibility to comply with the obligations enshrined in international human rights instruments and to uphold universally agreed human rights standards falls upon states, involvement by informed citizen is key to pushing for states' compliance with human rights instruments."
- Bill Graham, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, March 2004, in the preface to "FOR THE RECORD 2003:  The United Nations Human Rights System".
 
  "Mr. Volpe [Joe Volpe, Federal Liberal leadership candidate], a 59-year-old veteran Toronto MP, referred back to the reason he entered the campaign - to show how Canada has matured to the point where an immigrant can run for the highest political office in the land.
    The longtime MP, born in Italy, won applause when he told of being approached two days ago by a Canadian of Sikh faith who said to him:  'I want a leader who will make me feel like an equal in this country - no matter my colour, my religion, my culture, my history.'" (emphasis added).
Juliet O'Neill, Mike Blanchfield, and Jack Aubry, "Volpe bolts to Rae's camp", Ottawa Citizen, December 2, 2006, p. A1.
 
(Boy, can we in Ontario relate to that.  Some day friends ... some day.)
 
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Ontario
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"I share the Prime Minister's hope that China will soon ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Prime Minister raised these issues because they are important to all Canadians — and because the Government of Canada is responsible for the conduct of foreign policy at the state-to-state level. Respect for the basic rights of our citizens is something that is also very important to me and to my government."
- Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, in an address to the Tsinghua University Law School, Beijing, China, 7 Nov 2005. Ironically, the Premier was suggesting that China should abide by the same human rights instrument that Ontario was censured for continuing to violate only five days before this
address.
 
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Quebec
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"The Task Force is submitting its conclusions in the form of a brief series of recommendations intended to serve as a basis for public discussion. These recommendations clearly represent a break with the tradition that has prevailed in Québec for more than a century. They amount to a proposal that, in the future, our education system be unequivocally based on respect for the right to equality and respect for freedom of conscience and religion. In 1975, the National Assembly enthroned the right to equality and freedom of conscience and religion in the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. Like the National Assembly, we believe that this right and this freedom, with the other fundamental rights guaranteed in the Québec Charter, are the “foundation of justice and peace.” We have come to the conclusion, that to provide for the full exercise of these rights, Québec must replace its current denominational school system by a secular school system and consequently redefine the place of religion in schools."
- From "Conclusions and Recommendations" in "Religion in Secular Schools:  A New Perspective for Québec", the report of the Task Force on the Place of Religion in Schools in Québec (The Proulx Report), March 1999.
 
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Newfoundland and Labrador
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"On behalf of all Newfoundlander and Labradorians, I wish to publicly acknowledge the contribution of each and every member of this House of Assembly, to date, in unanimously supporting government's efforts to amend Term 17. It is imperative that, in these times of rapidly declining enrollment and scarce resources, the current complex system with its duplication of school boards, administrative offices, schools and transportation systems be fundamentally redesigned for educational excellence and fiscal responsibility. The children of the province deserve no less."
- Roger Grimes, Newfoundland and Labrador Minister of Education, in a statement read in the House of Assembly, 5 December 1996.
 
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"I believe it's time to recognize that we cannot maintain our commitment to achieving the education reform necessary to shape our future, if we continue to tie that reform to the denominational system of education that shaped our past. ... I believe it's our children who must be given a full opportunity in 1997 to live together and to learn together. In fact that simple, but yet so desirable, objective cannot be fulfilled if the denominational rights which exist today, continue into the future. ... I believe it's time to hire our teachers because they're competent, caring and committed to our children, not because of their religion. I believe it's time to elect our school board members because they will exercise their best judgement on behalf of all of us, not just on behalf of some of us."
- Brian Tobin, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, announcing a provincial referendum on education reform, 31 July 1997.
 
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