On the Motion:
That,
Whereas His Highness the Aga Khan, leader of the worldwide Ismaili Muslim Community, is a beacon of humanitarianism, pluralism and tolerance throughout the world;
Whereas in addition to the spiritual leadership he provides to the worldwide Ismaili community, the Aga Khan is also actively involved in humanitarian and development projects throughout Asia and Africa;
Whereas Canadians are grateful for the Aga Khan's efforts in Afghanistan where today the Aga Khan Development Network is a vital partner in our efforts to secure and improve the lives of Afghan citizens;
Whereas Canada is proud to have partnered with the Aga Khan to build the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa which will promote ethnic, cultural and religious tolerance in Canada and worldwide;
Whereas Canada has previously acknowledged the contributions of other leading champions of human dignity, granting them honorary Canadian citizenship;
Therefore, the Senate of Canada resolves to bestow the title "honorary Canadian citizen" on His Highness the Aga Khan.
Hon. Mobina S.B. Jaffer: Honourable senators, I rise also to speak on the motion, but I first want to thank the Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, for suggesting that we bestow the title of honorary Canadian citizenship on His Highness the Aga Khan.
It is an honour and a privilege to rise today in support of the motion to recognize His Highness the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims with the title of honorary Canadian citizen. I am proud, as a Canadian and an Ismaili Muslim, that we can bestow this honour on someone who is so richly deserving of it.
I know that some of you in this chamber are familiar with the contributions the Aga Khan and the Ismaili Imamat have made in Canada and internationally to advance pluralism and diversity.
It was not that long ago that we celebrated the opening of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat here in Ottawa, the home of the Aga Khan Development Network. The network is a group of development agencies with mandates ranging from health and education to architecture, culture, micro-finance, rural development, disaster reduction, the promotion of private sector enterprise and the revitalization of historic cities.
The Aga Khan Development Network agencies conduct their programs without regard to faith, origin or gender. As Senator Comeau's motion states, the Aga Khan Development Network is currently with Canadian Forces in Afghanistan to improve the lives of the Afghani people. The Aga Khan Development Network's efforts in Afghanistan includes large-scale rural development; health, education and civil society programs; micro-finance services and the rehabilitation of historic neighbourhoods in Kabul and Herat with a rapidly growing mobile phone network. With the support of its donors and partner, more than U.S. $700 million has been channelled to the network for Afghanistan's reconstruction.
The Global Centre for Pluralism, another initiative of His Highness the Aga Khan, is yet another example of his long-standing partnership with Canada. Dedicated to the creation of successful societies, the centre is founded on the premise that tolerance, openness and understanding towards the cultures, social structures, values and faiths of other people are essential to the very survival of an interdependent world.
The credo of the centre is, and I quote:
Pluralism is no longer simply an asset or a prerequisite for progress and development. It is vital to our existence.
To quote the Aga Khan himself:
We cannot make the world safe for democracy unless we also make the world safe for diversity.
Canada is an ideal place for such a partnership, and I am glad that these are not the only areas to which we have been able to extend that cooperation. Through the Aga Khan University, His Highness has been a champion in promoting education, research and innovation. Canadian institutions have been a benefactor of this partnership as well. Just last week, His Highness received an honorary doctorate from the University of Alberta. During the ceremony, he also signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Alberta.
Aga Khan University and the University of Alberta will work together to advance mutually held goals for a greater global engagement and social understanding. Canadian students and, ultimately, the global community will benefit from this continued cooperation. This adds to a growing list of partnerships between Aga Khan University and the Canadian universities that already include McMaster University, the University of Waterloo and the University of Toronto.
Aga Khan University President Firoz Rasul said:
This partnership will enable the University of Alberta's expertise to impact parts of the world that would not otherwise benefit from these capabilities. Their innovative approach to research, teaching and service in health care, education and sustainable economic and environmental development in northern Canadian communities could greatly benefit the developing countries in which the Aga Khan University, the University of Central Asia and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture currently work.
As you can see, honourable senators, this is the type of friendship our country wants to keep and on which we can continue to build. As you can also undoubtedly tell, I am personally overjoyed to support this motion.
Honourable senators, I would like to share some personal reflections with you today.
I am very much aware that I enjoy this place, a place of privilege in the Senate amongst you, as a result of the time and resources the Aga Khan has personally spent on me. My Montessori education was paid for by His Highness the Aga Khan. My elementary education was paid for by His Highness the Aga Khan. My secondary education was paid for by His Highness the Aga Khan. I know for a fact that my teachers were personally interviewed and chosen by His Highness the Aga Khan and sent to Uganda from the U.K. in Scotland to educate us. The Aga Khan has always encouraged Ismaili women to play a leadership role in our institutions.
The Aga Khan has gone further; he has worked hard to ensure that women are treated equally in the Ismaili community. In fact, he has enabled them to have leadership experiences in his institutions. I am a product of receiving leadership experience in the Aga Khan's institutions. As a Ugandan refugee, I know I am in the greatest country in the world — Canada — because of the Aga Khan's hard work in obtaining asylum for Ugandan refugees in Canada.
Today, I ask you to support this motion, as I know that I have achieved all I have because of His Highness the Aga Khan's hard work for me to be able to succeed in Canada.
If this motion goes through, the Aga Khan will become the fifth person to be recognized with the title of honorary citizen. He joins Raoul Wallenberg, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi. This is distinguished company, but there are few more deserving to join this select group than His Highness the Aga Khan.
Honourable senators, I am overjoyed to welcome His Highness, Prince Karim Aga Khan as a fellow Canadian. I hope you will join with me and the Canadian Ismaili community in welcoming him and working toward an even greater partnership to advance our mutual goals. I ask you to support this motion.
...
An Hon. Senator: Question.
The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
(Motion agreed to.)