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Results: 76 - 90 of 120
Samya Hasan
View Samya Hasan Profile
Samya Hasan
2021-06-17 12:51
Thank you for that question.
One of the really disturbing statistics I have come across is that there are more than 200 white supremacist, extreme right-wing groups in action right now in Canada. The federal government, as mentioned in the previous panel, has the power to dismantle and disband them. A lot of the online hate comes from those extreme right-wing, white supremacist groups, which are just running freely right now. There needs to be strong action to disband all of those groups.
I assure you, once we do that, there will be a lot less online hate, especially targeting women, racialized women and Muslim women. Online we know that racialized women and Muslim women face a disproportionate amount of cyber-bullying and cyber-hate. Women in general face a lot of hate online.
The answer is in your hands, as the federal government, to disband those 200-plus white supremacist, extreme right-wing groups.
View Lindsay Mathyssen Profile
NDP (ON)
I want to return to the discussion on the hate crime units, with policing, that reporting system. I absolutely agree with you, Ms. Hasan, about that public education piece that we don't know. I think part of that, too, comes in with respect to how to report it, but it's also that education around why it's so important to report it. The NDP has also been calling for and wants to move forward on expanding that.
Many smaller cities across Canada, even medium-sized cities and municipalities, don't have anything like a hate crime unit. Could you talk about the importance of the federal government ensuring police units across the country have the funding for specific hate crime units? That's for both witnesses.
Samya Hasan
View Samya Hasan Profile
Samya Hasan
2021-06-17 12:53
I think it's very important. We know that a hate crime is not just something that happens in large cities. We've seen on social media that people who have moved into smaller rural towns during the pandemic have faced a lot of hate and racism in those communities. I stand by having a streamlined approach from the federal government to support police units to establish hate crime units across the country and to provide those resources that are necessary.
The other important thing is that having a hate crime unit on its own is not enough. We've had police units that have had hate crime units, but the staff that were responsible for that unit were not trained at all on how to handle complaints. It is a very sensitive job to be talking to people who have faced violence in that way, so training is a huge component as well. It's not just resourcing and providing funds for those police units to create hate crime units, but also having a centralized training system for that hate crime staff to take in reports and be sensitive to issues around the different forms of hate that people experience.
View Nelly Shin Profile
CPC (BC)
Thank you so much.
First, I would like to express my sadness with the recent tragic deaths of the four Muslim family members in London. I so appreciate all the witnesses who are here, in the earlier panel and in this current one, for making time to speak with us today.
I know that with the rise of racism in general, and anti-Asian hate crimes specifically in my part of Canada in the greater Vancouver area, one thing that keeps coming up, and you've touched on this a little bit already [Technical difficulty—Editor] charge anyone because you don't have a witness or it wasn't an actual physical form of assault that can be charged. A lot of times victims walk away feeling more angry, very afraid, powerless and that the world is not safe and no one can really do anything about it.
You mentioned the idea of the hate crime unit. Could you provide more details of what kinds of things can be done to help those who are walking away without any justice at that moment?
Samya Hasan
View Samya Hasan Profile
Samya Hasan
2021-06-17 12:56
After talking to different police units in the work that we are doing, one of the biggest barriers in charging someone with a hate crime is the requirement of having Attorney General consent for that to be considered a hate crime. We've asked for some transparency around what is considered a hate crime and what is given Attorney General consent and what is not given Attorney General consent.
As the Anti-Hate Community Leaders Group, we have not advocated for removing that requirement to have Attorney General consent, but to have some more transparency and an annual reporting mechanism of what has been given consent and what has not, so the community can have a better understanding of how that system works. When we have transparency around something, better and consistent principles will be applied to what is considered a hate crime and what is not.
I totally hear you, MP Shin, that there are people who go in to report a hate crime and they are told that, unfortunately, they are not able to consider [Technical difficulty—Editor] right now for any crime to be considered a hate crime.
It's looking back at some of those gaps and those policies to see how we can eliminate some of those gaps and how to make the process more transparent. Community groups like CASSA can then [Technical difficulty—Editor] and educate the community on what they need to do to report hate crimes and what factors they need to fulfill before they go to the police and report hate crimes.
The other thing that was discussed this morning was that third party reporting is so important. As we know, a lot of communities don't have a lot of trust in law enforcement. The Muslim community, especially with Muslim women, are afraid of being shamed and victim-blamed. That is a real thing. We need to really see how we can improve that entire system of reporting, so that communities have better trust in law enforcement when they report hate crimes. If they're not comfortable reporting it to law enforcement, there should be third party mechanisms, like organizations that are doing close work with the community already.
We work with a lot of organizations. Given some resources, they would be more than happy to take on that role to take hate incident reports from their communities because they already have the trust from the community. They would take that and then they would funnel that to the police.
I think a lot of measures can be done to support that process.
View Salma Zahid Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thanks to both the witnesses for their important testimony and the recommendations they have given in this important study.
Thank you, Ms. Hasan. We have worked closely in the Scarborough community. All the work you are doing in Scarborough to break down the walls of hatred is very much appreciated.
My question is for both of you.
All members of the Muslim community have been and can be victims of hate crimes, but women are particularly vulnerable. We are more likely to wear traditional clothing, such as hijabs or our traditional dresses, and therefore, we are more visible targets. I myself was a victim of hate when I started wearing a hijab. With my being the first woman to wear a hijab and speak from the floor of the House of Commons, I think it gives a lot of assurance to our young girls and women who would like to see themselves enter politics wearing a hijab.
No woman or girl should be made afraid to wear what she chooses to wear. What a woman or girl chooses to wear should be her choice and hers alone. It was very sad to talk to a young university student the other day when she told me that she feels scared to stand on a platform of a subway station when wearing a hijab. She stands in a corner in fear that maybe someone could push her or something.
Could you please briefly share what your experiences as a Muslim woman have been? What can we do today, as leaders in our respective communities, to assure all women and girls that they are safe wearing a hijab, and to give them the assurance that wearing a hijab would not stop them from achieving their dreams in whatever fields of life? Many women think that wearing a hijab might be a barrier to getting a good job or entering politics.
I would like to hear your perspective on that issue.
Samya Hasan
View Samya Hasan Profile
Samya Hasan
2021-06-17 13:01
I'll be very quick so I can give Saadia some time to speak as well.
I think what Amira said before she left would send a huge signal to the Muslim community that the federal government is there to support Muslims and hijab-wearing women. Condemn Bill 21. Honestly, that bill has really made Muslim women think they are not part of this country, especially those who live in Quebec, that they're not recognized citizens of this country, that they're not contributing members of this country. They have been made to feel that way.
The strongest signal you can send to Muslim girls who may or may not want to wear a hijab or a niqab is that you will not stand idle and you will not stand silent while a province in our own country passes legislation that violates their constitutional rights. Condemning Bill 21 would be a very, very strong signal.
Saadia Mahdi
View Saadia Mahdi Profile
Saadia Mahdi
2021-06-17 13:02
I agree completely with what Ms. Hasan has just said.
It was very hurtful to see that a province in Canada could actually successfully pass a bill that was so racist and Islamophobic, and hurtful to all people who wear religious clothing or symbols. Definitely, if the federal government said that this is unconstitutional and it can't be done, that would be a great step. It would also prevent people who felt validated in their hateful opinions by the passing of that bill if it would say that no, Canada's not going to tolerate it.
In going back to MP Zahid, it warms my heart when I see a fellow hijab-wearing woman in your position. It is very inspiring. When I was young, it wasn't something that I actually ever thought possible. We were okay with the old white men being in charge of the government. Slowly we saw more representation from women, and then slowly, women of colour, and now Muslim women. You guys really are trailblazers. We wish you well. We're with you.
Definitely, when our kids see representation, even something small, like if they see a commercial on TV and there's a woman wearing a hijab, for whatever reason, it gives them such pleasure to see that we are being represented. That's something we didn't have when I was growing up. It is a great responsibility on your shoulders, but we are with you and we are very thankful that you have chosen this line of work. Wherever these hateful things creep up, it is now your responsibility to make sure that they are shot back down and they're not allowed to fester and grow.
View Kristina Michaud Profile
BQ (QC)
Thank you.
Both of you talked about additional tools for law enforcement as a possible solution.
Back in 2019, your organization called on the federal government to create a grant program to train police on how to counter hate and lay charges under the Criminal Code.
Since 2019, has the government acted on your recommendations?
Mustafa Farooq
View Mustafa Farooq Profile
Mustafa Farooq
2021-06-16 16:53
Unfortunately, I can't fully comment on that. What I will say is that we have been advocating very strongly for the federal government to continue to move forward with things like RCMP oversight, as well as CBSA oversight. Those are critical items that I think everyone agrees need to be refined, especially RCMP oversight, which obviously has been a study of the committee. We think those things are critical and important. A further examination of the efficacy of hate crime units will help us determine how those can be best utilized and mobilized, because there is quite a lot of variability in how hate crime units operate across Canada. I think this has has been noted before. That's why I think these things have to continue to be looked at and explored.
Shimon Koffler Fogel
View Shimon Koffler Fogel Profile
Shimon Koffler Fogel
2021-06-16 16:54
We too have been advocating for more robust training and resources for law enforcement at the local level, because it's at the community level that they can build the most dynamic relationships with targeted communities, provide the support necessary and gain the intelligence in order to more effectively track things.
There is a whole range of things that I think are tools that law enforcement, prosecutors and the like can receive, which should be a focus of both the Islamophobia and anti-Semitism summits that will be taking place over the next couple of months.
View Jack Harris Profile
NDP (NL)
Thank you, Chair.
I want to thank both witnesses for coming before us today. It's difficult to find the words to express the shock we all felt and the concern we all feel about what happened in London last week. I think, Mr. Farooq, you yourself found difficulty expressing the concerns as well. I think the whole country is shocked by this once again, I'm afraid to say. Also, we heard from CIJA, and Mr. Fogel, about the ongoing and increasing incidents of hatred against Jews and the anti-Semitism spreading throughout the country.
I think we are here today because we as a committee felt that it was extremely important for us to hear from you about what concrete actions should be taken that haven't been taken to date and that might go some way to show that this country takes it seriously, that the government has a means of following through on recommendations. We welcome the suggestions you've made thus far.
First of all, I recognize that in 2019, Mr. Farooq, you appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights and talked about asking government to fund programs to train police on how to counter hate and lay charges. That seemed to me to be a fairly basic thing that you requested in 2019. Two years later, are you able to say to what extent the government has acted on that recommendation? Have you been able to find out to what extent the government has provided additional funding for programs of this nature?
Mustafa Farooq
View Mustafa Farooq Profile
Mustafa Farooq
2021-06-16 16:57
Unfortunately, I can't comment on the specifics. I don't have those quite in front of me.
View Jack Harris Profile
NDP (NL)
Mustafa Farooq
View Mustafa Farooq Profile
Mustafa Farooq
2021-06-16 16:57
We are obviously continuing to engage with government on these kinds of important questions, and with our colleagues and folks who are in Justice and in Public Safety. I can't comment on the specifics of the question right now. I'm sorry, I just don't have the numbers in front of me.
Results: 76 - 90 of 120 | Page: 6 of 8

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