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September 4th, 2019

NDP to Announce Plan to Tackle Rising Racism and Islamophobia in Canada

TORONTO – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh will speak at the National Canadian Council of Muslims Townhall, and announce his plan to replace Liberal rhetoric with real action to address racism in Canada.

“Absolutely no one should be made to feel like they don’t belong, or that they’re not safe – not online, not at school or work, and not in their communities. Too often, though, racialized Canadians still experience discrimination. I’m committed to standing up for people by confronting online hate and Islamophobia,”said Singh. “The Liberals have missed opportunity after opportunity to make Canada more inclusive. Pretty speeches about diversity are no replacement for concrete action.”

Singh will announce NDP commitments to tackle racism, including Islamophobia, with action. They include:

  • Making social media platforms responsible for removing hateful and extremist content.
  • Boosting enforcement against hate crimes with dedicated hate crimes units.
  • Passing a federal law to ban carding.
“The Liberals have left social media giants to voluntarily develop policies around hateful and extremist content, and that’s not working,” said Singh. “It’s time to take on the web giants so we can better protect Canadians — that’s who I’m in it for.”

Singh will also address employment discrimination and other topics, and participate in a panel discussion.

“White supremacy and any group that spreads supremacist views have no place in Canada,” added Singh. “As political leaders, we have to not only pay lip service to diversity and inclusion — we have to be vigilant to stamp out racism.”

The NDP’s New Deal for People proposes several measures to take meaningful action on racism and Islamophobia.

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What people are saying:

“We are at a critical point in time. Police reported hate crimes have increased exponentially and over 40% of those reported crimes are motivated by hate of race or ethnicity. Victims of these hate crimes are every day people who deserve to live in safety and with dignity. The growing threat of far-right extremism in Canada is a real risk to not only our democracy, but our national security. Yet, this issue is largely excluded from the public agenda. I am pleased to see Jagmeet Singh and his team prioritize this important issue in their vision for a better Canada.”

  • Dr. Barbara Perry
    Director of the Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism at Ontario Tech University

“Over the last few years, I have become increasingly disheartened by the fact that I am living in a Canada I no longer recognize. The disturbing rise of anti-Black racism, anti-Indigenous racism, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitism, while always a reality within our institutions, seems to have intensified in the public sphere in recent years.

The NDP vision document on Confronting Racism gives me hope that we will see a government that is finally ready to admit that we too have a “race problem” and that is committed to addressing it in its many forms – overt and direct and systemic and structural.

I want to be able to recognize my Canada again – a Canada that, while not perfect, is determined to get back on track with upholding its core values of equity and justice.

As a university professor who works with Black, Indigenous, immigrant and other racially diverse communities, I share the NDP’s stated commitment to ensuring that every Canadian is valued and respected, regardless of their race, culture and ethnic background and that every social institution is equipped and ready to identify, name, and address structurally-embedded forms of racism that harm the social, economic, and political well-being of racialized communities.

As I continue to work with communities to address long-standing forms of racism and other inequalities, I will hold the NDP accountable to the vision outlined in their vision document.”

  • Dr. Ingrid Waldron, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University and Director, Environmental Noxiousness, Racial Inequities and Community Health Project