The right to worship according to one’s conscience is a Canadian trademark. This isn’t so around the world. I have looked into the eyes of people who have, in their own countries, been victimized and brutalized simply because of their religion—and report far worse for their fellow practitioners. Their well-documented reports of persecution sicken me to the core.

That’s one reason I’m grateful that our government has established the Office of Religious Freedom.

In his announcement regarding the official establishment of this office, and the introduction of Canada’s first Ambassador of Religious Freedom, Dr. Andrew Bennett, Prime Minister Harper clearly outlined the urgency for its creation.

“Ladies and gentlemen, around the world, violations of religious freedom are widespread, and they are increasing.

“In Iran, Bahá’ís and Christians face harassment, imprisonment, and, in some cases, death. In Pakistan, Ahmadiyya Muslims, Shiites Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and Hindus are vulnerable to persecution and violence. In China, Christians who worship outside government-approved boundaries are driven underground and their leaders are arrested and detained while Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and Falun Gong practitioners are subjected to repression and intimidation.

“Elsewhere we watch in horror as sanctuaries are destroyed and believers are attacked and in some cases slaughtered, Shia Muslim pilgrims in Iraq, Coptic Christian adherents in Egypt, Christians at worship in Nigeria, the list, appallingly, goes on and on.

“In the face of these injustices and atrocities, Canada will not be silent.”

Mr. Harper spoke of meeting the Minister of Minorities of Pakistan, Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian who worked tirelessly on behalf of all minority religions in his country. Three weeks later, Bhatti was assassinated.

I’m reminded of an earlier time in history, when Germany had a crucial need for citizens to speak out against their own government’s persecution of elements within its borders. Martin Niemoeller,  a German pacifist  eventually jailed by the Nazis, is best known for this powerful statement of regret: “First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.”

Our government has already spoken out. It has also taken action against human rights violations globally, as well as promoting religious freedom among G-8 and Commonwealth and Francophonie leaders. Our country is home to thousands of religious refugees, among them 20,000 Chaldean Catholics, driven from Iran under threats of death.

But words are never enough. As Prime Minister Harper stated, we must do more to protect fundamental human rights against this assault on democracy. “The need is urgent. And our responsibility is clear.”

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The audio version of Garry's March 4, 2013 op-ed column can be heard by clicking here