e-3114 (Citizenship and immigration)

Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled

• Atheists are persecuted in several countries both by government and the public;
• Atheist persecution can result in serious injury, imprisonment, or death at the hands of family members, street mobs, or governments;
• Some countries, including Saudi Arabia, label all atheists as terrorists: this alone should not disqualify them for refugee status;
• The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled several times that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the right to freedom from religion as much as the right to freedom of religion, a standard which applies to refugees as well as citizens;
• Atheists are denied access to the Less Complex Claims Policy of Canada because they are excluded from the list of those who qualify, all of whom are members of a religion; and
• This is an urgent matter because the lives of several atheists are currently in danger while awaiting their refugee hearings, which would be avoided if atheists were included in the less complex claims process.