MP Viersen Honoured With Award for Human Rights Work

February 8, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ottawa, ON – Arnold Viersen, MP for Peace River – Westlock was honoured to receive an award last week recognizing his ‘contribution in supporting the resettlement of Uyghur refugees fleeing the ongoing genocide perpetrated by China’ from the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project.

On February 1, the House of Commons unanimously adopted Motion M-62 from Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi to recognize the forced labour, torture and other atrocities that face Uyghur and Turkic Muslims who have fled Communist China and called on the government to help resettle 10,000 refugees.

MP Viersen was the first Member of Parliament to add his name in support of M-62 and has risen regularly in the House of Commons to table petitions calling on the government to take action to protect Uyghurs.

“Human rights come from the fact that we are created in the image of God and we must ensure they are protected and upheld,” said MP Viersen. “In many countries, Christians, Sikhs, Jews and Muslims are targeted for persecution and even death. Canada has a responsibility to uphold the right to freedom of religion we so strongly hold and assist those seeking freedom and safety.”

Motion M-62 followed a Conservative motion from 2021 that called on the Liberal government to recognize the actions of Communist China towards Uyghurs as a genocide. The Liberal government has been reluctant to criticize the Communist Chinese government or take action to assist Uyghurs, prompting Liberal MP Zuberi to introduce M-62.

MP Viersen has served as the Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights since January 2022.

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