THE MUSLIM VOTE -- TOP ISSUES FOR ELECTION 2008

by : THE CANADIAN ISLAMIC CONGRESS

1. Canada must assert an independent position on the international stage
by:

~ demanding that the American government close its Guantanamo Bay detention
facility and release Canadians held there;

~ ensuring that its UN voting policy is in line with Canadian values that
promote world peace with justice;

~ returning to our historic and respected tradition of peace-keeping and
withdrawing Canadian forces from combat missions in Afghanistan;

~ working diligently with its allies to prevent the U.S. from dragging the
world into another military mis-adventure, such as that planned for Iran;
and

~ campaigning proactively to end Israel’s 41-year illegal occupation of the
Palestinian territories, chiefly the West Bank & Gaza.

2. Canada must visibly and substantially commit to protecting the
Environment by:

~ investing in efficient mass public transportation and alternative-
technology vehicles;

~ supporting an urgently needed frequent fast train service between Windsor
and Quebec City; and

~ supporting and investing in large-scale wind, solar, geo-thermal,
hydrogen fuel cell and bio-fuel energy alternatives, to reduce oil
consumption and dependency in all facets of the national economy.

3. Canada must stand behind, and deliver on, all previous promises to build
an effective and sustainable National Poverty Strategy by:

~ investing in affordable housing;

~ lowering education fees;

~ providing increased child tax benefits to low-income and working-poor
families;

~ providing tax cuts to low-income and working-poor families; and

~ creating an achievable plan to eliminate homelessness and child poverty.

4. Canada must restore the integrity and fairness of its Immigration policy
by:

~ revisiting the recently introduced law (C-50) which gives whoever is in
power the upper hand in determining who should be admitted to this country;
and

~ ensuring that foreign-trained professionals (particularly in medicine,
sciences, and education) be given fair career opportunities commensurate
with their skills.

5. Canada must be decisive and proactive in Protecting Minorities by:

~ investing in the security of schools, Mosques and community centres of
any and all cultural groups who are at-risk of violence and defamation;

~ including the fact and definition of "Islamophobia" in the hate-speech
provisions of the Criminal Code and in Human Rights legislation;

~ investing in awareness training for all levels of the RCMP, CSIS and all
categories of government officials, in order to prevent racial profiling;
and

~ revisiting, reviewing or discarding current anti-terror legislation and
no-fly list regulations.

6. Canada must affirm the value of universally accessible Preventive Health
Care by:

~ investing in preventive health care for all Canadians at local, regional
and national levels; and

~ investing in higher -- and enforceable -- regulatory standards throughout
the food industry.
***

sumber :
mailis sabili@yahoogroups.com
senin, 22 September 2008