On June 5, 2019, I delivered a Members' Statement on the concluding report and Calls For Justice of the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls:
Canada committed deliberate race, identity and gender-based genocide against Indigenous peoples and we can see the impact of this in every sphere of life: the violence, the loss of life, the child apprehensions, the marginalization, the deliberate exclusion, the poverty, the homelessness rate, the lack of protection, the Indian Act, the sex-based discrimination, the racism. It goes on. This is Canada's shame.
If we are to show that we have actually heard family members and survivors, we must have an Indigenous-led action plan with a dedicated budget and a timeline for implementation that is publicly accountable. We must address Indigenous land titles and Indigenous people's right to self-sufficiency and self-governance. We have a duty to address this historic and intergenerational trauma, social and economic marginalization and the ongoing dismissal of their expertise. The Calls For Justice are not just recommendations but are legal imperatives that must be implemented.
June 10, 2025 - Ottawa, ON - MP Jenny Kwan joined Mr. Sebastian Lai, son of imprisoned Hong Kong pro-democracy leader and publisher Jimmy Lai, members of Jimmy Lai's legal team, and a cross-party group of MPs to speak at an All-Party Parliamentary Press Conference for Jimmy Lai.
As world leaders prepared to gather for the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, MP Jenny Kwan, along with other MPs and Senators from all parties called on Canada’s delegation to the talks to champion freedom for Jimmy Lai, one of the world’s most high-profile political prisoners and a man with close ties to Canada.
Jenny also asked the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship in Parliament the previous day: Will Canada grant honorary citizenship to Jimmy Lai? This isn't a private case - it's a human rights issue. The minister must stop hiding behind excuses. It's time for Canada to take a stand. The Minister has the ministerial authority to do so and should act immediately ahead of the G7 Summit.
