QUEEN’S PARK — The government confirmed Thursday it will not pass the anti-Islamophobia bill written by the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) and MPPs Sattler (London West), Hassan (York South—Weston), Kernaghan (London North Centre) and Armstrong (London-Fanshawe) before the spring election, despite the desperate need to pass the Our London Family Act to protect Muslim communities in Ontario now.
“Just today, the Muslim community in Peel gathered at Dar Al-Tawheed, in light of an Islamophobic attack to call for the urgent passing of the Our London Family Act. For the government to fail to prioritize this desperately needed legislation is deeply disappointing,” said Sattler. “If they were serious about fighting Islamophobia, they would listen to Ontario’s Muslim communities and pass this bill today.”
The Our London Family Act addresses calls to action made in the NCCM's recommendations to the National Summit on Islamophobia, urging provincial leaders to move beyond words and undertake concrete, meaningful action to combat Islamophobia in Ontario. The bill is dedicated to the Afzaal family, who were tragically killed in an Islamophobic terrorist attack in London last year.
"With hate crimes and Islamophobia on the rise in Canada, and in Ontario specifically, the government should be doing everything in its power to make sure Muslims can live without the fear of being targeted with violence and hate,” said MPP Faisal Hassan, one of the co-sponsors of the bill. “The NCCM has provided a roadmap for fighting Islamophobia in Ontario, but the government is refusing to listen to the urgency of this call for action. We need to work together now to provide the safety and protection from hate that Muslims are asking for and deserve.”
Government refuses to pass Our London Family Act before the election
Published on April 14, 2022