Chamber Speeches Archives

SPEECH: Minister Hussen’s Commitment to Address Unintended Consequences of Bill C-45 for Immigrants

Ratna Omidvar Senate of Canada June 19, 2018 Bill C-45, cannabis, Chamber Speeches, immigrants, legalization

"We argued in committee and in the chamber, I believe, that it was not simply unfair but also against the principle of the bill, which is decriminalization. Instead, as a knock-on effect, there is an over-the-top impact on just one class of residents, and that is permanent residents, while others follow a different path to rehabilitation."

Debate Highlights: Amending the Impaired Driving Act to Address Unintended Consequences for Permanent Residents

Ratna Omidvar Senate of Canada June 14, 2018 Bill C-46, Chamber Speeches, impaired driving, permanent residents, refugees

"Honourable senators, the amendment that Senator Jaffer has proposed is a very sensible one. It will not reduce the penalties for anyone who is charged with DUI. It will not provide special consideration or exemption of any kind for anyone who drives under the influence. It will, however, remove the severe, harsh, unintended impact on just one class of residents."

SPEECH: Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act at Third Reading

Ratna Omidvar Senate of Canada June 8, 2018 Bill C-45, cannabis, Chamber Speeches, legalization

"Once legalized cannabis is the norm, you will go into a store or online and purchase a product. If it is labelled, you know what you are getting. You know its potency levels. There may be warnings on it, et cetera. You can be guaranteed that it will not be laced with a harmful substance."

Speech: Amendments to Bill C-25, An Act to Amend the Canada Business Corporations Act and Other Acts

Ratna Omidvar Senate of Canada February 8, 2018 Bill C-25, Chamber Speeches, corporate governance, Diversity, employment equity

As I have said repeatedly, I think of Bill C-25 as a soft tap on the shoulder. This amendment that Senator Massicotte has proposed is a nudge in the right direction. It’s an intentional nudge, so that we can get beyond aspiration — and I commend the aspiration and the intention in this bill — and take it to concrete action.

Speech: S-219 – Non-Nuclear Sanctions Against Iran

Ratna Omidvar Senate of Canada November 30, 2017 Bill S-219, Chamber Speeches, Iran

"We have a lever. That lever is persuasion, advocacy and engagement, loudly when we need to, softly and with diplomacy when called upon, because diplomacy and engagement go hand in hand. Engagement leads to conversation, even when you disagree. Engagement may lead to university or cultural exchanges, which are often a soft entry using soft power as a tool for change."

Speech: S-239 – An Act to Amend the Canada Elections Act

Ratna Omidvar Senate of Canada November 2, 2017 Bill S-239, Chamber Speeches, charities, Democracy, digital governance, Elections, Senator Frum, social media

The big picture tells us that foreign influence is more pervasive than any money attached to third parties. It tells us that we must strike a balance between allowing participation in a digital and global age while protecting Canada’s democracy. This is indeed the brave new world that we must learn to navigate, negotiate and regulate.

Speech: C-25 – An Act to Amend the Canada Business Corporations Act, the Canada Cooperatives Act, the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, and the Competition Act

Ratna Omidvar Senate of Canada October 25, 2017 Bill C-25, Chamber Speeches, corporate governance, Diversity, employment equity

I believe that setting and changing regulations happen in a vacuum, with very little oversight from Parliament. Once we approve legislation and it is given Royal Assent, it leaves our influence. It is open to change, reinterpretation, redefinition, as the government of the day likes.

Speech: Motion to Urge the Government to Call Upon the Government of Myanmar to End Violence and Gross Violations of Human Rights Against Rohingya Muslims

Ratna Omidvar Senate of Canada October 5, 2017 Bangladesh, Chamber Speeches, Myanmar, refugees, Rohingya, Salma Ataullahjan, United Nations

The conflict between Rohingya Muslims and the Rakhine Buddhists is incredibly intricate. Their history spans centuries, not decades or years. Within these intricacies, it is easy for disagreements to form as to where peace, stability, justice and coexistence may lie.

Speech: Bolstering our understanding of Canada’s charities and non-profits in the Senate

Ratna Omidvar Senate of Canada June 21, 2017 Chamber Speeches, charities, Senator Terry Mercer

"These topics are near and dear to me. As a new immigrant to Canada — and I possibly am not alone when I say this — this was the one sector that did not look at me in the face and say, "Where is your Canadian work experience?" I have a real fondness and empathy for the sector because on principle it is associated with looking at people other than what is on the paper before them."

Third Reading Speech: Bill C-6 – An Act to Amend the Citizenship Act

Ratna Omidvar Senate of Canada April 6, 2017 Bill C-6, Chamber Speeches, Citizenship, immigration

“Society is not judged by how it treats its strongest, but how it includes its weakest.”