Question Period Note: Islamophobia in Canada

Islamophobia in Canada

Our government strongly condemns the post-October 7, 2023, rise in violent incidents, community-reported hate crimes and hate speech. Hate in any form, including Islamophobia, has no place in Canada, and we remain resolute in protecting Muslim communities from bigotry, hate, and religious discrimination.

The Government is investing to renew the Anti-Racism Strategy and create an action plan on combatting hate to tackle to the rise in hate crimes, including those targeting Muslims.

The Government has also appointed Canada’s first Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, who serves as an expert advisor to the Government on the inclusion of Muslims and the fight against anti-Muslim hate in Canada.

According to Statistics Canada (2022), Muslims represent 4.9% of the Canadian population.

One-third of Muslims surveyed in Canada in 2016 (35%) have reported experiencing discrimination or unfair treatment in the past five years due to their religion, ethnicity, culture, language, or sex (Source: Environics, Survey of Muslims in Canada 2016).

According to the most recent Statistics Canada’s release on Police Reported Crime Statistics in Canada, 2023, the number of police-reported hate crimes increased by 32%, from 3,612 incidents in 2022 to 4,777 incidents in 2023. Hate crimes targeting a religion (67%) or a sexual orientation (69%) accounted for most of the increase in 2023.

Of the 688 hate crimes motivated by religion that were reported from 2018 to 2022, 335 or nearly half targeted Muslims. The crimes motivated by hatred of Muslims were the most frequently violent (18%). In the same period, women accounted for more than half the victims of hate crimes targeting Muslims (53%). Compared to all other types of hate crimes (both violent and non-violent), those targeting Muslims were the only ones where more victims were female than male.

Among police-reported hate crimes targeting a religion in 2022, the Jewish and Muslim populations continue to be among the most frequent targets, accounting for 66.9% and 14.4% respectively of police-reported hate crimes against a religious group. It is important to note that less than a third (29%) of criminal incidents came to the attention of police, according to the 2019 General Social Survey on Canadians’ Safety conducted by Statistics Canada. Respondents to the survey were asked if they believed their violent victimization had been motivated by hate. Of the 223,000 criminal incidents were perceived to be motivated by hate, 22% of victims reported the incident(s) to the police.

Following the global tensions arising from the Israel-Hamas conflict post October 7, 2023, members of the Jewish and Muslims communities have observed an increase in antisemitic and Islamophobic violence in Canada.

Legal Framework

Countering racism and discrimination is consistent with international obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination ratified by Canada in 1970, and Canada’s vision of a multicultural society that is embodied in the Canadian Bill of Rights (1960), entrenched in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982), and affirmed in the Canadian Multiculturalism Act (1988).

Further, giving effect to the principle that everyone has the right to equal opportunity and to live free from discrimination in Canada, the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) establishes prohibited grounds of discrimination, including race, colour, national or ethnic origin, and religion. Provincial and territorial human rights laws engage similar principles and objectives found in the CHRA, protecting people from discrimination in matters within provincial and territorial jurisdiction.

Recognizing the impact of online communication, the Government is also taking steps to legislate against severe forms of harmful content and hate speech on the internet. This initiative aims to prevent individuals from using online platforms as a shield for engaging in harmful activities.

On February 26, 2024, the Government introduced Bill C-63, that would enact the Online Harms Act and better safeguard everyone in Canada from online hate and other types of harmful content, including Islamophobia.

Investments

Since 2019, our government has committed over $200 million through Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy.

As part of Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2019-2022, $5.8 million was directed towards strengthening research and evidence to build understanding of the disparities and challenges faced by racialized and religious minority communities.

Between 2020-2024, $4.7 million in program funding was dispersed to various community groups across Canada supporting 47 unique projects designed to counter Islamophobia.

To confront hate in all its forms, Budget 2024 proposes to provide $273.6 million over six years, starting in 2024-25, with $29.3 million ongoing, for Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate to support community outreach and law enforcement reform, tackle the rise in hate crimes, enhance community security, counter radicalization, and increase support for victims. This includes $7.3 million over six years, starting in 2024-25, with $1.1 million ongoing, to support the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia. This builds on previous funding in Budget 2022 of $5.6 million over five years, starting 2022-23, and $1.2 million ongoing.

Government actions on Islamophobia

In 2021, the Government declared January 29 as a National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia.

The Government of Canada continues to condemn the deadly Islamophobic terrorist attack on a Canadian Muslim family in London, Ontario in June 2021. This tragedy shook the country to its core, leaving lasting scars in London and on the broader Canadian Muslim community.

In January 2023, Amira Elghawaby was appointed as Canada’s Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia. The Special Representative’s mandate includes:

Serving as a champion, advisor, expert, and representative to the Canadian government, for the purpose of enhancing efforts to combat Islamophobia and promote awareness of the diverse and intersectional identities of Muslims in Canada; and

Collaborating with domestic partners, institutions, and stakeholders to support Canada’s efforts to combat Islamophobia, anti-Muslim hatred, systemic racism, racial discrimination, and religious intolerance.

On November 2, 2023, the Senate Committee on Human Rights released a report, Combatting Hate: Islamophobia and its impact on Muslims in Canada, which outlines the Committee’s findings from its year-long study into the sources of Islamophobia in Canada, incidents of discrimination, physical violence and online hate against Muslims, and the effects of these events on individuals and communities. The Committee makes 13 recommendations to address the disturbing rise of Islamophobia in recent years. The government response was tabled on April 26, 2024.

Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights (JUST) : The Committee agreed to undertake a study on the issue of antisemitism and a study on the issue of Islamophobia, and the additional measures that could be taken to address the valid fears that are being expressed by Canada’s Jewish and Muslim communities, including but not limited to the issue of antisemitism and Islamophobia on university campuses. The Committee will report its findings on both studies to the House and request a government response (motion adopted on March 21, 2024). The Committee agreed that the number of meetings be three for each study. The Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia was invited to appear on June 10.

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