Here’s what Ottawa has said, and done, about Islamophobia and attacks on Muslim Canadians

Video: Muslim community grieves, calls for action after London, Ont., attack (cbc.ca)

Muslim community grieves, calls for action after London, Ont., attack

SHARE

SHARE

TWEET

SHARE

EMAIL

Click to expand

UP NEXT

© Carlos Osorio/Reuters People gather at a makeshift memorial at the fatal crime scene in London, Ont., where police say a man driving a pickup truck jumped the curb and ran over a Muslim family in a deliberately targeted anti-Islamic hate crime.

Canada’s political leaders are once again condemning Islamophobia following the deadly Sunday evening hit and run in London, Ont. that police have described as a premeditated hate crime against a Muslim family.

Three adults and one teenager were killed in the incident, in which a pickup truck mounted a curb and struck the victims. A nine-year-old boy was also seriously injured but survived. 

The victims spanned three generations of a family.

“To the Muslim community in London and to Muslims across the country, know that we stand with you,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter Monday afternoon.

“Islamophobia has no place in any of our communities.”

Other federal leaders extended their condolences to Canadian Muslims before denouncing hate crimes against the group.

“This type of vile and extreme hatred must be condemned. An Islamophobic act of terror like this has no place in Canada,” Conservative leader Erin O’Toole said, also on Twitter.

“This is an act of Islamophobia and terror,” NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement.

Nathaniel Veltman, 20, of London, is facing four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in connection to the alleged attack. Police say terrorism charges against Veltman are also being considered.

Parliamentarians condemned Islamophobia in 2017

The widespread condemnation and identification of Islamophobia as a motivating factor comes a little more than four years after the House of Commons passed controversial legislation that sought to identify and root out hate against Muslims.

The private member’s motion, introduced by Mississauga-Erin Mills Liberal MP Iqra Khalid, called on the federal government to do three things:

The non-binding motion was dragged into a bitter debate in Ottawa before its eventual approval. Its most dogged critics said the proposal would limit freedom of expression and single out Muslims for special treatment under Canadian law.

© Patrick Doyle/Canadian Press Liberal MP Iqra Khalid introduced an anti-Islamophobia motion in 2017. A government committee issued 30 recommendations, some of them addressing Islamophobia, a year later.

A Heritage committee report on systemic racism, religious discrimination and Islamophobia followed in 2018. 

The report concluded with 30 recommendations, including the creation of a coordinated national action plan, improved data collection on hate crimes, and the development of new education and training programs.

‘This is a journey,’ says MP who led report on Islamophobia

Liberal MP Hedy Fry, who was chair of the committee when the report was written, said many of the recommendations are in the process of being implemented. 

Hedy highlighted improved data collection and public education campaigns as the most critical recommendations. She said those efforts are ongoing and gaining momentum.

“You’re not going to stop systemic problems in five years,” Hedy told CBC News in an interview. 

“This is a journey. But we need to get the pieces in order to start that journey and I think that our government has begun to do it.”

Canada also launched an updated national anti-racism strategy in 2019, which lists Islamophobia as a form of discrimination. However, the strategy does not include specific measures to combat Islamophobia separate from other forms of racism or discrimination.