432-01113 (Civil and human rights)

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

Whereas, religious freedom is protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and by various international human rights agreements to which Canada is a party.

Whereas, restrictions on public gathering during a pandemic are legitimate as long as those restrictions are evidence based and are applied on an equal basis.

Therefore we, the undersigned, call on the Government of Canada to seek dialogue with faith communities in Canada with an eye to the development of mutually-agreeable guidelines for allowing public worship to occur during times of pandemic while also preventing the spread of disease.